Chasing Dreams
by emptyvoices
Summary: COMPLETE:This is a sequel to Survivor as to the events that happen approximately nine months after my original story has taken place. This will explore more issues between Lisa and Jackson as they learn to trust each other despite the horrors of the past
1. On the Run

_Lisa was back in the airplane bathroom just as she opened the door to find Jackson Rippner standing there observing her. He looked past her and she turned to see once again her traitorous writing on the bathroom mirror. She turned back to him as he suddenly shoved her back into the tiny restroom, closing the door behind him. He clamped his hand over her mouth, shoving his knee into her abdomen as she tried to fight to get free of his grip. _

"_Don't fight me, just breathe." He said. Lisa allowed her body to relax as he removed his hand from her mouth and shifted his grip so his hand was gripping her chin. "Why are we doing this again?" Lisa asked. Jackson seemed to shrug. "It always happens this way." He said indifferently his piercing blue eyes gazing at hers. "But don't you ever want it to be different?" Lisa asked uncertainly. She looked away from him feeling conflicting emotions in her heart. _

"_I thought you hated me." He said pointedly. "I thought I did too." Lisa agreed. "But now, I just feel sorry for you, Jack." She told him. "It doesn't make any difference." He said smirking at her. _

_"Why not?" She asked. "Why is there always the same nightmare? I need to move on Jack."_

_Jackson's eyes became cold. "And what do I move on to, Leese? Where do I go?" He shook his head. "I will always find you." He reasserted squeezing her chin harder. "Do you know why, Lisa?" He asked._

_Lisa glared at him but refused to answer._

"_I'm relentless." He hissed and Lisa shivered. Jackson seized her arms and started to shake her._

"Lisa!" David said, his voice edged with panic. He was shaking her awake as she blinked sleep out of her eyes. "What is it, David?" His face was pale and he seemed agitated. "They're here. We've been found, Lisa. We need to leave now." He said. "Jackson." Lisa whispered.

He was pursuing them relentlessly. Even after his base in Las Vegas was closed, DARPA never seemed to dissipate as Lisa and David made narrower escapes each time. On the other side of their house, she heard a crash, as the door was smashed open.

"The window." David said, pointing urgently. Lisa got up only having time to grab her jacket to throw over her burgundy pajamas. Grabbing her purse off the chair, David wrenched the window open and Lisa followed him outside as they quietly ran down the city streets. This time, they were living in London but it was only a matter of months at a different location that the young couple was tracked down again.

She heard cars race down the street towards their direction and Lisa grabbed David's arm and pulled him into a nearby alley. Hiding in the shadows, Lisa trembled in David's arms as he held her protectively. She wasn't sure what Jackson would do to David Rosen if he ever caught him. Since David had also betrayed him, Lisa was certain he had vengeance in mind. "Vengeance and something else." Lisa thought wryly her mind briefly wondering back to when Jackson had kidnapped her and held her at his base. He had been obsessed with her and DARPA didn't seem fooled by the explosion in the Lux Atlantic that had supposedly claimed her life.

David grabbed her arm and pointed quietly to indicate taxi's at the side of the road. In a sprint, they made it to one and climbed inside. He ordered the taxi to take them to a private airport outside of London. "Go quickly!" David said as he tossed several bills on the front seat next to the driver. The driver's eyes glinted at the sight of the money and floored the accelerator.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jackson lounged in a chair at his new office in Washington D.C. contemplating the information he found out through remote surveillance. DARPA was at David and Lisa's heels. He knew that his superiors didn't have the same agenda Jackson did. After the two consecutive failures, a different manager was assigned to their pursuit.

Jackson's superior had personally come to his office and explained the situation. "You're too close to this one, Rippner. It's best that we use impartial parties to take care of Rosen and the woman. I let you have your way your attempts to recruit Lisa Reisert but you were unable to maintain control over her and wouldn't accept help. She has become a liability to us."

Jackson had smiled darkly. "Who said I needed help? He asked.

His supervisor had simply shaken his head. "If you did, we would not be in this predicament. We are reassigning your team to another objective. My team will personally handle her extermination."

Jackson's features tightened imperceptibly "Lisa Reisert can still be useful." He said insistently.

Snorting the supervisor asked, "For what? A warm body at night? Certainly not for a partner. Forget her, Jackson. You have a good career going here. I hate to see that end." He said with a note of warning in his voice.

Jackson had breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that David and Lisa had narrowly escaped the recent attack. His heart was in turmoil. "What the hell am I supposed to do now?" He asked himself. He knew it would be only a matter of time before DARPA caught up with them.

How important was his career? Jackson thought through the last ten years since he was recruited out of college. He had just finished his two joint degrees in Psychology and Business finishing in the top 10 of his class. The recruiter had offered him a chance of a lifetime in an expanding company with excellent benefits, a new car and a completely furnished home. At least, that's what the brochure promised.

For a year, he had made more money then he ever dreamed by developing cutting edge surveillance tools to eliminate terrorists or so he thought. He found out he got more then he bargained for when government officials came to Jackson and explained exactly their true involvement. His mind flashed on the forced training camp he was made to endure where they taught him how to be a field agent. Jackson had resisted at first but after weeks of constant exhaustion and hunger, his only thoughts were of survival and eventually he left the training camp performing his assignments with mindless efficiency, his success rate skyrocketing. His associates viewed him with a certain level of fear and admiration.

He was then offered the job of manager, which encapsulated the doling out of unpleasant assignments and overseeing projects usually without his direct involvement in the field. He became an expert planner as increasingly difficults tasks were given to his base to accomplish. The team was assigned to the Charles Keefe assassination and Jackson had to come up with a plan to intercept him. The problem was his security was so tight that Jackson was forced to investigate his schedule and contacts. That was when he found out about Lisa Reisert's relationship to Charles Keefe and his hotel itinerary. Charles Keefe had consistently stayed at the Lux Atlantic where Lisa was the hotel manager. Jackson came up with the plan to have her threatened by a death of a family member subsequently forcing her to change the Keefe's hotel room number. Originally, one of his subordinates was supposed to break into her apartment and force her to comply with the request. Upon completion of the task, Lisa Reisert was to be terminated immediately.

When he was informed that she suddenly left for Dallas for her grandmother's funeral, his team debated scraping the mission.

Jackson however loved a challenge. His mind debated several different strategies until he came to a conclusion. He could trap her on board her flight back to Miami. It was ingenious but it required delicate handling and sophistication. As a manager, he decided to face Lisa himself. He trusted no one else to carry out something with this high level of risk. Sending one of his subordinates to her father's home, he thought to himself, "It won't be easy. A thousand things could go wrong."

"Everything did go wrong." Jackson said to himself. He knew instantly the first time Lisa and him spoke that he had feelings for her. A spark inside him prompted him to ask her to have a drink with him at the airport bar. His emptiness seemed to recede within those few moments and he truly felt alive for the first time in his ten years of working for DARPA. After the flight, he spent months in rehabilitation on the base recovering from the two gunshot wounds and the lacerated windpipe, he suffered at Lisa's hands. All he could think about was her and his obsession with Lisa fueled his recovery. He planned down the minute detail Lisa's capture and her trip back to the base. "Of course," Jackson thought wryly, "I never planned on her."

Now, DARPA was after her with strict orders to terminate her on sight. Jackson stood out of his chair finally coming to a decision. He grabbed various pieces of equipment and shoved it in his briefcase. "I'm done with DARPA." He thought firmly as he picked up the phone and asked his assistant to make a plane reservation. His mind drifted to Lisa with a sense of longing.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Lisa looked outside the chalet window as David moved around the kitchen. Gazing at the mountains, she thought; "Switzerland certainly is beautiful. I should feel lucky to be here." But all Lisa felt was her exhaustion and dread. She hardly could keep up with the name changes she had to endure within the past nine months.

"Is it really worth it?" She asked David. "The world is only so big. It's a matter of time until DARPA finds us." She collapsed in a chair.

"What is our choice?" David asked. "It will settle down, Leese. They will eventually forget about us. Even Jackson will forget."

His words sounded hollow to her. She shook her head in disbelief knowing Jackson was ruthless and methodical. He would never forget and her dreams wouldn't allow Lisa to move on. There were nights that she woke up screaming and David had clutched her arms in order to shake her from the vivid nightmare. "I don't know what I'd do without him." Lisa thought affectionately.

David spoke up interrupting her thoughts. He was opening the cabinets and frowning. "I'm running to town to pick up some groceries." He said. Glancing at her, he ordered, "Don't leave the house."

Lisa nodded numbly as she heard David pick up his keys and leave the house. Every new home seemed to be a prison for her as she felt like part of her was decaying inside by staying within those suffocating walls. "I can't go on like this much longer." Lisa thought.

Suddenly, the house was rocked by the sound of an explosion. Lisa stumbled, falling forwards as the noise shook the house. "David!" She thought as her breath caught in her throat. She ran out the front door and to her horror, she saw David's car on fire.

Her mind was unable to process the terrifying reality. "No, David is still in there." She said to herself running to the explosion. She was gasping for air feeling like the world was collapsing around her. David had to be alive because Lisa knew she wouldn't be able to cope without him. She screamed out his name, tears running down her face unable to see the flames rising all around the car as she desperately tried to run to the driver's side door.

"Lisa, No!" A familiar voice yelled at her. Lisa didn't have time to think whom the voice belonged to as she reached out her hand to touch the car door. Arms grabbed her around the waist pulling her backwards. Lisa struggled wildly. "No! David is still in there!" She screamed. Her mind was unable to grasp the fact that David was dead. She only knew that the arms were preventing her from saving her husband. "David!" She managed to cry out once more.

Her terror and desperation gave her strength beyond anything she ever knew to pull herself free from the arms for an instant. She had only taken one step to the car before the arms grabbed her again pinning her arms to her side tackling her to the ground. "Let me go!" She screaming fighting hard against the iron grip. "I'm sorry, Leese." She heard Jackson's voice in her ear whisper gently and then felt the sting of needle at her side. She struggled hard against him as the sudden fear of hearing his voice again gave her energy. But within seconds a mist seemed to wrap it's way around her mind causing her muscles to weaken in his grasp. "That's it Lisa." Jackson was saying distantly to her. "Just relax." Her breathing slowed as she thought for a moment about David. Distantly, inside her mind, she knew David was dead and grief filled her momentarily. Darkness clouded her mind as her thoughts of David drifted away softly into the temporary embrace of sleep.

As Lisa's body went limp, Jackson gathered her in his arms and looked for a moment at her tear stained face. "I can't tell you how sorry I am." He murmured as he laid her down in the passenger's seat and buckled her seat belt. Quietly, he opened the driver's side door and started the car. He drove quickly down the once quiet street vaguely hearing the ominous call of sirens as they once again arrived too late to avoid the tragic scene.

**Obviously I thought I change the tone slightly and give our antagonist more background information. In keeping with the characters I will do my best to establish a connection between them initially. I'm not altogether sure where this story will take me but I will focus on both character's perspectives this time. If you like it, great and if you don't, that's ok too! It just my interpretation I suppose.**


	2. Coming to Terms

"David!" Lisa screamed waking up suddenly to feel a sinking sensation in her stomach. She was lying on a double bed in a bedroom that was completely unfamiliar to her. Her head tried desperately to put together the pieces of what happened before she got here. Images flashed in her mind.

She recalled something about an explosion and running to the source of the blast. "David was in danger." She thought. "Oh my God, he was in a car." Her mind played back the memory against her will. "No." She told herself. "It was a nightmare. David's not dead." And she started to shake uncontrollably.

"Where's David?" She asked out loud feeling prickles of dread creep up her spine. The answer came from the corner of the room. "He's dead, Leese. I'm sorry." A voice said intensely. Lisa turned in shock to that chilling voice that plagued her nightmares. "Jackson." Lisa whispered. The impact of his words started to sink into her mind as she propelled herself off the bed. "You're lying!" She yelled. "Don't you dare lie to me!" She exclaimed, her breaths coming in gasps.

Jackson stood up slowly and gazed at her with his piercing, blue eyes. "Since when, Lisa have I ever lied to you?" He asked calmly. "No." Lisa denied again. Her body trembled feeling the horror of his words and their inevitable conclusion. "It wasn't a nightmare." Lisa thought helplessly. Staring at Jackson, she felt anger start to well inside her. All the pain and misery he had put her through in the last year came back in one haunting moment.

She allowed the rage to gather inside her because at least in her anger, she could forget about the pain of losing David. She glared at Jackson bitterly and using her vehemence to give her strength as she attacked him without hesitation.

Forming a fist she punched him right across the face feeling a sense of deep satisfaction as he stumbled back into the wall. "You bastard! You killed him!" She yelled murderously. Her hands reached for his throat wanting in that instant to just feel him die. She wanted to kill him just as she felt that he had killed her internally.

Jackson was caught off guard for an instant by her sudden attack but after a moment he grabbed her wrists as she reached for his neck and in one swift moment, he wrapped his arms around her, pinning her hands to her side.

Lisa struggled wildly against him. "You've always been pathetic Jack." She snarled. "Did you enjoy watching your handiwork? I'll kill you for what you've done." She said as she slammed her knee into his abdomen. He doubled over in pain and Lisa used that moment to run to the door. Without a weapon, she didn't have the strength to fight Jackson and win.

"He'll pay for this." Lisa told herself as she put her hand on the knob. Arms seized her from behind dragging her away from the door and Lisa let out a shrill scream. Her cry was cut off as Jackson clamped his hand over her mouth forcing her against the wall. "Do not scream." Jackson said icily. "I took you here at great personal risk. Another team from DARPA was assigned to assassinate you and David on sight."

Lisa shook her head and her voice was muffled against his hand. Grabbing her shoulders, he forced her to face him and his voice became chillingly soft. "If I remove my hand, are you going to scream again?"

Her eyes filled with resentment looked at him hatefully but she shook her head slightly. He slowly removed his hand. "I was too late to do anything about David. The other team had rigged his car in hopes that they could terminate you both at once. His car had already exploded by the time I got there. I only had time to save you." He smirked. "What, Leese, no gratitude?" He asked.

She looked at him feeling sick inside. "Gratitude, Jack?" She spat back at him. "Exactly what should I feel grateful for? The fact that you kidnapped me after my grandmother's funeral in the middle of a crowded plane?" She asked sardonically. "Or, wait, I know! When you dragged me to your hellish base and threatened me and my family if I didn't help with your psychotic plan? There are so many things to choose from Jack so pardon me if I get confused." She said her voice dripping with sarcasm as she tried once again to pull away from him.

His grip tightened on her arms instinctively as her words penetrated his mind. Shaking off the cold sensation of regret he faced her and his eyes narrowed. "Perhaps I have been unduly harsh with you, Leese but for now I need you to listen because your life depends on it. A group of highly skilled, ruthless killers want to you dead and I'm the only one that can stand between you and a watery grave. So, I am going to set some ground rules for the time being."

She shook her head, refusing to comply with him. It didn't matter that he hadn't set the bomb in the car. To her, he was just as responsible and she refused to allow herself to be protected by him. "I'd rather take my chances with the assassins, Jack!" She said maliciously.

Smiling darkly he whispered in her ear, "Did I give you any indication that you had a choice?"

Lisa enraged tried to knee Jackson again but he anticipated this. Deftly, he shifted his leg to the side and used his knee to propel her onto the bed, pinning her against the mattress. "Now for the ground rules." He said in an almost pleasant tone as Lisa struggled against him on the bed. "First Leese, you attack me to knock me off guard and I promise you the repercussions will be severe. Second, you are not to leave this room or my presence anytime in the near future."

She cast him a look of disbelief. "Lisa, I mean it. You have a high price on your head and if you run, you won't last for a day." He said forcefully. "Now this is a temporary safe house of mine and we will be moving to the permanent one tomorrow."

Tears welled up in Lisa's eyes as finally; she ceased her futile attempts to fight against him. "Why are you doing this?" She asked mournfully. The grief of David's death seemed to stab her heart and she could hardly breathe from the intensity of the pain she was feeling. "Just let me go, Jackson. I just want to die. I don't care anymore." She said as the emptiness inside her pervaded her thoughts.

Her life was gone when David died. She would never feel his arms around her again protecting her from the darkness that had nearly stolen her soul. "What's the point of living?" She thought. "What good does it do to be a survivor when there is no one left to see that you have survived?"

Jackson looked at her and his gaze softened as she lay on the bed listlessly with a deeply plaintive look on her face. Her green eyes which were once filled with passion were now lifeless and empty. He loosened his grip and stood up looking down at her. "I care Lisa for the both of us and for now, that's enough."


	3. Mistaken Identity

Lisa sat on the cold, plaster tiles of the bathroom floor huddled against the wall, her arms wrapped around her legs. She cradled her head within her knees as she stared emptily at the bathroom sink. Memories flashed through her in sudden bursts of past moments with David. Feelings that engulfed her seemed to be disconnected from the reflections she faced.

"It should have been me." Lisa said to herself and she shivered. The bathroom floor was freezing yet she didn't want to leave her momentary place of solitude to go back into the bedroom where Jackson Rippner was waiting. For over two hours she stayed in her sanctuary resolute glancing up at the door to make certain she had locked it from any intrusion.

Her mind drifted back to her first months in Paris after she and David has escaped Jackson's obsessive fury.

"_Why don't you ever want to talk to me about what happened?" David asked after Lisa woke up from yet another nightmare. She got up and filled a glass with water at the nearby sink. "David, I don't want to dwell on it. Jackson has already taken so much of my life from me, why should I give him my pain as well?" She asked. "It wouldn't bring back the life I once had."_

_David shook his head as he got up to stand behind Lisa. "But, Leese, it might bring you back." He said assuredly. "You can't continue to allow him to have this power over you." _

_Lisa turned around to David looking at him pleadingly. "What power do I allow him David when he enters my subconscious against my will?" David nodded. "Only because you allow him. Perhaps you should admit to yourself that your hatred of Jackson stems from the fact that he betrayed you during the first time you allowed yourself to become vulnerable to a man."_

_Horrified, Lisa asked David, "You suggest that I had any attraction towards him?" David took Lisa's hand. "That's not always a bad thing, Lisa. I wonder if you can admit to yourself what would have happened if he was never assigned to coerce you into changing the hotel rooms for Keefe." _

_Disgusted, Lisa turned away. "It doesn't matter. He repulses me David! I hate him more then any man I have ever met." _

_David put his arms around her. "I'm so glad that I'm not on your bad side." He said teasingly. Lisa shook her head and smiled at him. "As long as you're with me that could never happen."_

Lisa laid her body down on the cool tiles of the bathroom floor. It did happen and David was gone. "How could you leave me David?" She whispered out loud as tears ran down her face. Now she was trapped in this cold prison with her very nemesis who insisted on acting as her protector. The irony of that statement caused Lisa to clench her jaw in anger. "If Jackson had never entered my life, I would be home with my family. David would still be alive."

"Please, David! Don't just leave me here!" She whimpered out loud. Tears fell down her face as the pain of his absence twisted inside her making it hard for her to breathe. She wrapped her arms around her as she lay shuddering on the floor feeling the unbearable chasm within her heart.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jackson lay casually on one of the two double heads the room had to offer as he listened to the familiar sound of Lisa's muffled sobs through the bathroom door. He had heard Lisa cry so often that in the past he forced himself to walk away. In a brief flash, he remembered her weeping inside the airplane bathroom on the Fresh Air flight as he waited outside the door for her to emerge.

He always had to force himself to remain cold in front of her so that she would not use his weakness to his detriment. His constant vigilance in other situations came back to him as a reminder. The grey room he had imprisoned her in during her stay at his base flashed through his head when he remembered what it felt like to hear her constant sobs of agony as she threw herself against the wall. Still he remained remote keeping a firm grip on his emotions.

At this point, his life was in chaos. He left the security of DARPA on the trail of a girl that seemed to hate him passionately. He wondered to what end he could simply keep Lisa at his side against her will. Shaking his head, he muttered, "For as long as it takes." For the past two years, Jackson felt that Lisa belonged to him and that it was his right to rip her away from her home.

Within the last nine months, a slight pang of regret stirred inside of him as he watched the updates of DARPA's actions to capture Lisa. He grimaced when he thought about what DARPA would do if they apprehended her. Most likely interrogation interspersed with torture and then they would eliminate her.

"I can't allow that to happen." Jackson said to himself as he looked at the closed door where Lisa disappeared behind. She was clearly in shock and unable to defend herself. "Grief makes the most inconvenient victims." Jackson thought irritably. Lisa had been in the cold bathroom for too long. He stood up and started to knock on the door insistently.

"Leese, times up. You've been in there for over two hours." Jackson said loudly. Silence resonated from behind the locked door. "Lisa, I've been more then fair. If you don't open the door, I will break it down." He said warningly. Sighing at the continued lack of response, he brought out a tiny screwdriver kit from his briefcase and proceeded to force the lock open. Upon hearing the satisfactory click, he opened the door to find Lisa lying comatose on the cold tiles still in the same clothes she was in at the time he pulled her away from the explosion.

"Damn it, Leese, you are going to make yourself ill." He whispered to her knowing that she unable to hear him. It was probably a blessing that sleep had finally claimed her. Lisa's skin was freezing to the touch as he knelt down beside her and put his hand to her forehead. Gently, he reached down to pick her up again. Shifting her so Lisa's weight could be properly distributed; he carried her to one of the double beds in the room and carefully put her down.

He put the blankets over her and started to walk to the other bed when she let out a small cry in her sleep. "David?" Lisa murmured still asleep. "Where are you David? Please, I'm so cold." She twisted around in the bed wrapping her arms around herself as tears fell uncontrollably down her cheeks. Her body was shaking from the chill of her already damp clothes.

Jackson had no desire to cause Lisa any further trauma by changing her clothes while she slumbered. Walking over to her huddled form, he sat down next to her on the bed and put his hand on her arm in an effort to calm her. "David?" She asked desperately. "Please don't leave me!" She said urgently as her body contorted itself caught up in her apparent nightmare.

"Shh Lisa, its okay. I'm here." Jackson said softly. "David! He told me you were dead. Please help me. I'm so cold here." She pleaded weeping openly. Quietly, Jackson lay down next to Lisa, and gently put his arms around her unconscious form in a timid embrace hoping to still her wrenching movements. Finally, her sobs started to cease and a look of peace stole across her face as she seemed to escape the nightmare that plagued her for the comfort of her enemy she mistook for her husband.

**This may seem slightly out of character. I'm not sure. But keep in mind, Lisa is not awake and is pretty unaware. I'm not planning to just throw them into a romance at least not early on in this stage...I actually want to see how the story develops in my mind and how the characters develop to make a decision about romance or not. **


	4. Loss of Independence

Lisa's last memory was falling asleep on the cold tile of the bathroom floor. Her nightmares claimed her as she called out desperately for David who always seemed out of reach and then she dreamed he had put his arms around her protectively one more. Lisa felt secure as her nightmares resided into a soft dreamless slumber.

She slowly opened her eyes to find that darkness shadowed the room she was in. Lisa could feel the mattress beneath her and from her position could see the broken lock on the barely lighted bathroom door. "How did I get here?" She asked herself as the day before seemed like a blur of horrible events that had rushed through her mind in an instant. Panicking, Lisa tried to move but felt arms around her, embracing her which at the same time held her body prone on the bed. Twisting her neck around fearfully, her dread was confirmed when she found Jackson sleeping at her side.

Lisa's first instinct was to scream and pull herself away from this intrusion. She took deep breaths however to calm herself down. "Wait." She thought as her initial gasps softened. A plan was forming in her mind as she slowly moved her body from the constraints of his arms. It was tedious but she didn't want to take a chance at waking Jackson and ruining her plan for escape. "I'm almost there." She thought as she gently maneuvered her head out of Jackson's firm grasp.

Touching the floor softly with her bare feet, she silently approached the door and turned the knob. Opening the door, she was startled to be facing a wilderness of trees with no end in sight. "Where am I?" Lisa thought as she took her first steps outside of the small lodge.

"Leaving so soon without even a goodbye?" A mocking voice said behind her. Lisa let out a startled cry. Without turning around she started to run through the encompassing trees, feeling the pain of her feet being abraded by the pine cones and tree branches thrown in her pathway. "Oh my God, where do I go?" Lisa thought as the only mark of civilization seemed to be the nearly deserted motel and the lodges connected to it that she had just left.

She could hear Jackson behind her in a close pursuit. She tried to pick up speed however in the darkness her foot got caught on an unseen tree limb as she fell forward hearing a distinct sound of something snapping. She rolled a couple times down a small incline coming to a stop as her arms grasped for leverage to pull herself off the ground.

Her right foot wouldn't obey and she found she couldn't move it at all. Twisting around she could see that it was in an unnatural position to her ankle. "It's broken." She thought as she tried to crawl along the ground to hide beneath the incline. Jackson's pace had slowed to a walk as he casually approached her, crossing his arms as if to admonish a petulant child. Shaking his head, he knelt down beside her and expertly assessed the ankle with his fingers. Lisa groaned, feeling lightheaded as a wave of pain suddenly coursed through the injured foot. "Lisa, didn't I tell you that there are consequences for breaking our little ground rules?" He asked in a patronizing tone. Shaking his head, after examining her ankle he looked at her piercingly. "In order to move you, I'm going to have to do a rough splint here and set the ankle. It will hurt quite a bit, Leese."

Lisa looked at him appallingly as she took a shuddering breath. "Then don't do it." She said firmly closing her eyes as another wave of pain tore through her. She clenched her teeth. "Just leave me here."

He gave her a look of cool indifference. "That's not happening Lisa." He said assuredly. Tearing off a piece of his shirt, he held it out to her. "Put this in your mouth." He said commandingly. Lisa gave him a withering look. "I'm not going to scream." She replied glaring at him.

"That's not what this for. I don't want you to bit your tongue when I reset the bone because honestly when I do, it's going to hurt like hell." He said candidly. Insistently, he held it towards her again. "Are we going to have a problem, Lisa?" He asked, his tone threatening. Lisa took the cloth reluctantly from him and put it between her teeth. He grasped her ankle and in one swift jerk reset the bone. The pain was so excruciating for Lisa that darkness clouded her vision suddenly as she passed out from sheer agony. Minutes passed and she opened her eyes. Jackson was using a small tree branch to set her leg binding it finally with several torn pieces of cloth.

As he finished he gazed at her. "I think you suffered the consequence yourself for this infraction so I will have no need to punish you for it." He said, smiling casually. Lisa didn't have the breath to speak as her suffering increased from the constant sharp pain that stabbed through her ankle. He gently gathered her into his arms once more and carried her back to the lodge carefully evaluating each step he took so as to not cause her further grief. Tears of agony came from Lisa's eyes as the movement felt like torture for her.

Finally he stepped through the doorway and laid her down on the bed. Lisa moaned as her weight shifted onto the bed and clenched her fists feeling disgusted with herself that she was now dependent on Jackson for her care. Jackson had grabbed the first aide kit and deftly removed the makeshift splint from her foot replacing it with a metal splint and ace bandage. Lisa cried out as he adjusted her splint.

Removing a syringe from the kit, he advanced towards her. Fear was prominent in her eyes as she tried to use her arms to propel her backwards on the bed. Her mind flashed back to when Jackson held her at the base and used barbiturates as a form of persuasion during his interrogation.

"Please..." She whispered unable to finish the words. Jackson took her hand firmly as she looking at him pleadingly. "Lisa, it's only for the pain." He said quietly. "It's just morphine and Demerol to help you sleep while the swelling around the joint goes down. I'm not going to hurt you, Leese."

Lisa looked at him in disbelief. "You have before." She muttered. Jackson took her chin in his hand. "I've never lied to you before Lisa and I'm not lying now." He said evenly as he held the needle over her arm. She winced slightly as the needle pierced her skin. "That's my girl." He said soothingly to her as she lay listlessly on the pillow.

Minutes later, a pleasant drowsy sensation crept through her and the pain dissipated. Her thoughts became disjointed as she grasped memories from earlier in the morning. She could still feel Jackson's embrace from hours before. "What were you doing to me last night?" She asked feeling a mix of confusion and fear. He shrugged. "You were cold last night. I was just trying to warm you up. Seemed like the right thing to do at the time." Smiling darkly he asked her, "What was a man to do?"

Lisa felt confused momentarily. Jackson had changed somehow compared to the man who kidnapped her from the parking lot almost a year ago. There were instants of humanity in him and at times she could see flashes of regret in his eyes when she spoke of the past. "But why?" She thought to herself. "No. He is still the same person I've hated all this time." She said to herself unconvincingly. Her own words sounded hollow and for a moment the intensity of her focused hatred of Jackson was replaced by uncertainty as she drifted into a deep, quiet slumber.

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Jackson watched Lisa as she lay on the bed breathing softly in her morphine induced sleep. In the past two years, he had seen Lisa Reisert as a vibrant, determined and independent woman. Lisa had always acted courageously determined not to be anyone's victim. His mind briefly flashed back to the moment where Lisa daringly antagonized him in her own house.

_Lisa's eyes flashed at him as she saw Jackson standing just inside the foyer of her house. "Hi." He whispered, his breathing impacted by the pen she jammed into his throat. Lisa froze as he fixed her with a piercing glare. "Dad!" She exclaimed, her voice fearful. _

_He smirked at her, enjoying her panic. "Oh, he's not dead. I want him to see what I'm going to do to you first." Lisa dashed into the kitchen at those words with Jackson right on her heels. Soon the kitchen counter was the only thing standing between her and Jackson as she rose up to look at her nemesis. "You see, Lisa, I never lie." Jackson wheezed. _

_Lisa seemed to have finally found her voice. "Okay, so this personal now?" She asked sardonically._

_He came closer to her as he felt rage pulse through him. "Just finishing the job." He whispered lightly. She gazed at him witheringly. "Well, you're too late. Everyone's alive." _

_Jackson felt his anger increase. He was going to make her suffer for her disobedience and she would learn never to question who was in control again. He felt his hands clenched at his side as all he wanted to do was wrap his fingers around her neck._

_Lisa continued taunting him, "In that hotel, every single person is alive." She looked at him challengingly. "What, you didn't know?" As she circled the counter to be closer to the hallway, she said scathingly, "You failed, Jack!"_

_He was stunned in disbelief. How could he have underestimated her? Intense hatred filled him for that moment as he stealthily moved towards her. "I'll finish the job." He said determinedly. Lisa shook her head in refusal. "Not in my house."_

Jackson reflected back on that moment with almost a sense of pleasure. He never underestimated her since. There was a fire inside Lisa that drove him to desire her above anyone else. Now, Lisa seemed defenseless against the force that wanted to do her harm. But even with a broken foot, he still would have to keep a careful watch on her. "I did learn Lisa never to underestimate you." He whispered to her. Her desire for independence was always the hardest part of Lisa to control.

He glanced out the window. Dawn was starting to break throughout the sky. Looking down at Lisa's unconscious form, he shook his head. "Time to go Leese." She groaned softly when he knelt down to carry her from the bed. "Yes, I know." Jackson said to her sleeping face. "But we ran out of time. We can't stay here any longer." He knew that DARPA would be able to find them here within a day or two and he needed to get to the safe house as soon as possible or Lisa's broken ankle would be the least of his concerns.

**Still trying to work on the gradual construction of their relationship. I hope no one yells at me for getting some of the medical facts wrong regarding treating a broken foot or whatever being that I've never had one...I went on WEBMD for some research on that. Thanks for your reviews and I do hope never to dissapoint you. I'm always worried about that.**


	5. Trust

The floor was moving once again as Lisa emerged from her lethargic sleep. Blinking away her exhaustion; she realized that she was in a car. Drowsiness still clung to her as she tried to stretch out her stiff joints. She gave a sudden cry of pain as her foot seemed to protest the sudden movement.

"I'd be careful with that, Leese." Jackson's voice said coolly. "But why should I be surprised? You were never one to take advice as far as your health is concerned."

Lisa turned to glare at him. "You give yourself too much credit, Jack. If you had simply left me alone at the explosion this would not have happened.

Jackson gave her a withering smile. "Oh, yes of course. Your intriguing female based emotion-driven logic. Does that really take into the account that if I had left you there, you wouldn't have survived five minutes?"

She paused momentarily trying to think of a reasonable answer. Her mind didn't seem to produce one. Changing tactics, she said, "Just let me go, Jackson. Go back to your job. I'm certain they miss you."

"Well, Leese, as it stands my job is all about you and keeping you alive. My connections with DARPA are finished." He said icily staring in front of him.

In disbelief, she asked "Why is that? Why is my being alive so important to you?"

His blue eyes turned towards her and she felt herself shrink under the depth of his piercing gaze. "That's a stupid question Leese and you know it." He reached forward and caressed the side of her neck as she tried to avoid his touch.

Lisa shook her head and muttered, "If you loved me as much as you say you do, you would let me go." His car slowed down to a stop at a traffic light and desperately, Lisa tried to open the door. Jackson seized her arm firmly pulling her away from the door.

"Remember what I told you about my rules, Lisa?" He whispered in a menacing voice as Lisa winced from the sudden grip on her arm. The car started moving again and he released her. "We're almost there." He said calmly.

"Almost where?" Lisa thought knowing better then to ask. What kind of fight could she put up with a broken foot? She wasn't even certain she could put any weight on the injury at all.

She looked outside the window at her surroundings. Distant farms surrounded the area but otherwise, the land seemed empty and barren. The car finally turned onto a gravelly path and approached a decent sized cottage. "It's so cut off from humanity." Lisa said to herself as the car pulled to a stop.

"Home sweet home." Jackson commented mildly as he opened the door and stepped out of the car. Lisa opened her door and attempted to stand up on the damaged ankle. She leaned against the car door and tentatively put the damaged foot down on the pathway. Sparks of pain shot up her leg as she gritted her teeth in determination.

"What the hell are you doing, Lisa?" Jackson's voice rang out as he walked quickly over to her. She shrank back against the car as he steadily approached. "Jack, just get away from me." She said her voice quavering with anger. He paid no attention to her protests and gripping her arm, he lifted her into his arms once again as she attempted to struggle against him.

"Do you have to make this so complicated on yourself, Leese?" He asked irritably. "I thought it was common sense that if you break your foot, you are supposed to be keep off the injury."

Lisa desisted her struggle against him and allowed him to carry her into the cottage. "I'll never win in a fight against him." She thought but then her mind latched onto an idea that she found somewhat detestable.

Trust was always such an issue with Jackson. He first would establish controls or rules regarding a situation expecting the person to comply since the odds were overwhelming. "I need to catch him off guard in a territory where I have the control." She thought. Glancing at the car her mind worked quickly. "I won't win in a foot race even without a broken ankle." She stole a look at Jackson as he carried her to a simply furnished bedroom. A concept formed in her mind that just might work if nothing else could.

Despite any remnants of humanity she had seen in him, he was still a murderer. "God knows many people have died by his orders alone." She thought with a shudder.

Jackson felt the shiver move through her body. "Are you cold, Lisa?" He asked as he set her down on the bed. Lisa shook her head, her arms wrapped tightly over her body as he observed her. He sighed looking at her damp clothes that she was wearing and left the room to return with a small suitcase. Placing it on the bed next to her, he said "These should be your size and they should be able to fit over your brace comfortably."

Lisa glanced at the clothes, a feeling of revulsion crept through her. "You got these before the explosion." She said. Jackson was silent for a moment as Lisa took that as affirmation. "You knew about what DARPA was going to do, didn't you?" She asked angrily.

He looked at her and for a moment, she could detect a look of pain crossing his face. "No, Lisa I didn't know the details but I…." His voice trailed off as he thought about what to say.

She glared at him. "This is so planned, Jack. The clothes, the medical supplies, all of it. You were going to take me either way." His expression remained closed off as his haunting blue eyes pierced hers.

"You won't let me go, will you?" She asked plaintively. Jackson didn't reply as no response seemed to be necessary. "Get changed, Lisa. I'll be in the kitchen cooking dinner." He said coldly and walked out the door.

"I can never let her go." He thought as he closed and locked her door behind him. As long as he was with her, he felt alive and not so disconnected. In the back of his mind, his conscious seemed to taunt him. "To her, you're a monster." It whispered. "Who else would be so callous as to kill an entire family?"

He tried to drown out the voices by playing some classical music while he worked in the kitchen. The notes calmed him but he couldn't help but reflect over the last ten years. He wasn't sure if he could be anything more then what his training geared him to be as the perfect cold blooded manager of different high profile assassinations and even government overthrows in various countries.

"Lisa will come around in time." He said reassuringly to himself. He had little need for more money as the money from his different ventures was enough to provide him for several lifetimes hidden in various Swiss Accounts only assessable by his private code. So, there would be no further need for any of his past skills. As soon as the heat was off, he would be able to move them to a place that his associates knew nothing about.

"Maybe China." He speculated. Suddenly he heard the sound of a crash from Lisa's room. He swore silently to himself as he unlocked the door to find her leaning against the window frame with shards of glass lying around her.

Furious, Jackson grabbed Lisa's arm and dragged her to the bed forgetting for a moment the injury to her foot as Lisa cried out in pain. Unable to restrain himself, he slapped her across the face and she collapsed against the mattress holding her cheek.

"This is so stupid, Leese! Where did you think you were going to go?" He asked furiously. "Did you somehow forget that there are people out there who want to kill you? You keep gambling with your life while all I'm trying to do is save it!"

Enraged, he pulled out a set of handcuffs from his jacket. Lisa's eyes widened as she shook her head in a mute plea. "You give me little choice Lisa. Since you have such an apparent disregard for your own well being, I'm forced to protect you from yourself." Lisa tried to crawl back on the mattress away from him but Jackson reached out and quickly seized her left wrist clamping the cuff down on it while chaining the other end to the bed's frame.

"I suppose we won't be eating in the living room after all." He said cuttingly feeling the disappointment overwhelm him at Lisa's betrayal. "At least you changed." He said observing she had put on the comfortable pair of the flannel plaid pants and sweatshirt. Sinking down next to her on the bed, his tone became gentler. "Leese, please work with me here. At this point we have no choice. We just have to learn to deal with each other."

With that, he got up and left the room.

"What am I going to do?" Lisa thought. The idea she conceived in the car was ultimately undesirable but she had no choice. She would have no chance to escape Jackson chained to a bed. Eventually, she would have to gain his trust. That was her only possibility and her stomach twisted at the thought of how she would accomplish that.


	6. Breaking Down

Lisa spent her life in misery as several days passed without Jackson relenting on her "punishment" for her past betrayal. She had weakly tried to explain to him that she was only opening the window to get some air when the glass shattered in front of her. Jackson had seen through her lie immediately. He had boarded up the window and insisted on handcuffing her to the bed every night.

Lisa shook her head. "It wasn't fully a lie. It was partially true." She thought to herself. She was trying to open the window quietly so she could climb out and get to one of the farms only a small distance away. Even with her broken ankle, once it had been set, she had found she could limp fairly well on it.

She didn't understand Jackson's issue regarding trust. He had kidnapped her three times so the thought of her trusting him was patently absurd. Briefly, she thought back to the time when she had pleaded with Jackson to use the bathroom on the Fresh Air flight.

_He was berating her about why she had turned into "such a loner" as he had described._

_Lisa huddled against her seat trying to put as much distance between him and her feeling of intolerable pain as his mocking voice filled her head regarding the rape that had happened two years ago. "He can't know what I've been through." She thought. "I have to get out of here." A sudden ding indicated that the seatbelt light was now off. "I need to use the bathroom." She said matter of fact looking at him innocently. Jackson gave her a patronizing glance. _

_Holding up the small empty water bottle that the flight attendant brought earlier, he turned to her. "Best I can do." He said sardonically._

_Lisa gave him a withering stare. "Okay, you know what, you got me. I'm going to make the call when I can make the call." Her eyes pleaded with him. "But I need to go. You have got to let me go." She said firmly. Jackson observed her coldly. "Okay, I trust you." He said finally. Lisa stood up moving into the aisle. "And I need my purse."_

_Jackson had sneered at her. "Not that much." He had said._

"Why would you trust me at all?" Lisa asked herself. However the fact that he seemed to want to trust her was something Lisa could use to her advantage. A knock sounded on her door.

"Good morning Leese. Sleep well?" Jackson asked pleasantly coming in with a breakfast tray. She glanced at him and shrugged. "How well do you think I can sleep cuffed to a bed?" She asked coolly. Jackson gave her a dark smile. "I think you should feel lucky that I only have to that at night." He approached her and gently removed the cuff from her wrist.

Rubbing the irritated flesh she glanced at the tray. Taking a deep breath, she forced her voice to remain calm. In order to gain his trust, she couldn't just become compliant overnight. He would immediately know she was up to something. "Careful." She told herself.

"Couldn't I eat in the living room, Jack?" She asked. "I'm just tired of being in this room all day."

Jackson paused giving her a searching stare. Lisa held her breath momentarily. It was such a small step but even something slight could tip him off. "Okay, Lisa. I suppose I would feel that way too." He said slowly.

She let out her breath slowly as she scooted herself off the mattress. Putting weight on her injured foot caused little sparks of pain to shoot up her leg. She took a quick intake of air. Jackson came over and gripped her arm to keep her from wobbling. "It still hurts quite a bit, doesn't it? Let me check it out." He said as he left the room to grab the first aide kit.

He sat next to her on the bed and carefully unwrapped the bandage running his fingers over the damaged area. Lisa suppressed a shiver and closed her eyes. Disturbingly, his touch was not unpleasant as his hand caressed her ankle. "No." She thought to herself firmly trying to focus her mind.

"It's actually just a fracture and it looks worse then it is. I might be able to help the swelling so you can walk more easily on it" Reaching into his med kit, he brought out a syringe. "What is that?" Lisa asked fearfully. "I must remain lucid and I can't do that with narcotics." She thought.

"It's just cortisone, Lisa." He said reassuringly as she felt the sting of the needle being injected into her ankle. She groaned slightly as she felt the puff of air emitted by the needle hit all the nerves in her foot. He proceeded to wrap her ankle in a clean bandage and extended his arm to help her to a standing position.

Lisa looked at the hand that was reached out to her with trepidation. It was an extension of hope and maybe the first sign of faith in her. Rather then just seizing her arm, he was merely offering and she could choose whether or not to take it.

Taking a deep breath, Lisa put her hand in his as he gently helped her to stand. She expected to feel a sense of disgust at freely touching him however to her amazement, she didn't. "It almost feels natural." Desperately, she looked around the living room as they left the bedroom. "I have to get out here." She thought, filled with confusion about her own uncertain emotions. "David just died and I'm being held here by the man who more or less caused his death."

She ate slowly the breakfast Jackson had prepared for her at the table by the kitchen. In her peripheral vision, she saw the keys to his car just lying on the kitchen counter. As she took a small bite of the scrambled eggs, she watched him as he retrieved a plate and sat down across from her.

"Do they taste all right?" He asked indicating the plate. Lisa nodded slowly. "Where did you learn to cook?" She asked quietly.

Jackson looked away from her and for a moment, his eyes seemed far away. "When I was going from foster home to foster home, my differing families expected me to pull me weight. No one taught me specifically. I had to learn on my own."

Lisa looked down at her plate. "I'm sorry." She muttered. Jackson's eyes captured hers in a piercing look. "Yes, so am I Leese." He replied. "What can I say? We have both been through our share of hell. Even the day we met, you already carried your load of burdens."

She swallowed feeling the lump in her throat as he referenced her sexual assault. "I don't want to talk about it." She whispered.

"Of course Lisa because reclusion has done you so many favors." He said derisively.

She shook her head violently. "You don't what you're talking about." She said fiercely. "You have no idea what it's like to constantly be made a victim. All I tried to do was survive but then you came along and managed to beat that out of me, Jack." She stood up suddenly causing the table to jerk and her plate to fall to the floor.

As fast as her broken foot would allow her, she went into the seclusion of her room again and laid down on the bed tucking her knees into her chest. Tears escaped her eyes as she struggled to repress the horrible memory that was threatening to emerge.

She heard footsteps on the floor beside her bed and quickly tried to wipe away the remnants of her tears. The bed shifted under Jackson's weight again. "Lisa, you are a survivor. Think about all the times you managed to undermine me. You were never a victim but despite what you said on the plane before you so kindly jammed a pen into my throat; there are some situations that are out of your control."

"Just go away." She mumbled putting her arms over her face. "Sorry, Leese. I can't seem to do that." He replied. "You know, you're only a victim if you allow yourself to be one. That's your choice."

He paused. "Maybe you're right Lisa. Perhaps you are a victim and maybe you were asking to be raped." He spoke, trying to bate her. "When I came along I know you were suspicious of me but yet again you allowed yourself to be a victim then too. I'm thinking you enjoy it."

"No!" Lisa screamed as his comments cut through her like a knife. Enraged, she leaped on Jackson, knocking him off guard as they fell off the side of the bed. Furiously, she started hitting him relentlessly. All her anger and helplessness over the past four years boiled to the surface as she swiftly punched him.

"I never asked for any of this." She yelled. "You both just came into my life just to use me. You take what you want hoping to beat me into submission. I won't let that happen again." All the memories of the terror she had experienced seemed to enter her mind in one painful moment and in desperation to expel them; her wild punches became more intense.

Jackson grabbed her wrists tightly with one hand as he used his other arm to grasp her shoulder and embrace the struggling figure to him. Lisa tried to fight her way out of his hold. "No." She said desperately trying to pull her arms free. "Let me go." She begged. She quivered feeling her repressed emotions starting to break free.

"Just let it go, Leese. Let it out." He said quietly. Despite the fact that Lisa knew she was being held by a man she had only known to hate, her emotions crumbled inside her. In exhaustion, her struggling ceased as she started to weep helplessly against him while he gently stroked her hair. Jackson was her enemy but at this moment, it didn't seem to matter as he held her against him while all the tears of the past four years emerged from her in a sob that seemed to last forever.

**Don't worry to all those who are still expecting Lisa to be a fighter...she still will be. But I was writing and I thought this scene naturally fit I guess. I could be wrong but there isn't really any romance here yet. It's more of a development chapter I suppose. Hopefully it kind of works and it's not too unbelievable.**


	7. Avignon

Jackson Rippner had broken down her control once more. Lisa could hardly believe that he would dare say those things to her after all the pain she had endured at his hands. He had berated her about her rape hoping to spark a reaction from her and Lisa had simply melted down unable to stand the vicious remarks. "What wrong with me?" She asked herself.

As each day passed, Lisa grew more accustomed to life in his company and dimly remembered her past existence back in Miami. Struggling with her sanity was difficult and she forced herself to remember David and the grief of his death dwelled on her mind once more. At night, she would cry herself to sleep at the memory of David's face and all the times he put himself at risk to save her life. The memory of her wedding overshadowed by the horrible events came swimming back to her as she remembered escaping with David right after the bomb charges had detonated.

_Lisa had managed to pull herself free from Jackson as he stumbled back into the kitchen. She ran to the exit only making it to the center of the ballroom when she heard the explosion. It knocked her off her feet as chunks of the ceiling crashed around her, she dove under one of the nearest tables praying that it would protect her. "Lisa!" A voice next to her called. Trembling she turned around to see David crawling through the debree to get to where she huddled. _

_"What are you doing here?" She asked, her voice filled with loathing. "Have you come to take me back to Jackson? Is that it?" She asked._

_"No, Lisa." He said putting his fingers to his lips. "I'm getting you out of here. I know what I did was terrible but I will explain. For now, you need to trust me and come with me. I promise you that this is not a setup." She hesitated giving him a searching gaze. "What other choices do you have? Once you stumble out those doors, Jackson will find you and he won't mind killing your family or Cynthia in doing so." _

_She nodded slowly and took David's outstretched hand. After only crawling a short distance, he quietly pulled open a grate in the middle of the room that had been covered with a rug to hide the crudeness of it from the elegance of the rest of the room. He helped her down through it leading her to the basement. "You're really not with DARPA." Lisa said feeling relief enter her body. _

_"I never was." David said. "Keefe wanted me to get inside of DARPA to investigate any illegal activity that was happening within the group. You see, as a whole, DARPA is legitimate organization and works with the NSA but as in a lot of agencies, there are always some bad seeds. It will take time, Leese but we will uproot them and then we can be free to finally live peacefully without fear of reprisal from them."_

"I hope you have the peace I could never give you, David." Lisa said forlornly. It was one a.m. according to the clock on the night table. Lisa sat on the bed in the flannel nightgown Jackson had bought for her. Everynight, she felt isolated and alone in her despair. "At least he stopped handcuffing me to the bed." She thought. However, Jackson still locked her in her room everynight leaving her no chance to get to the car keys only yards away from where her bedroom was located. The time she spent outside her room was always under his close observation.

"I have to get him to unlock my door. But how?" She thought searching her brain. "I just can't stay here much longer. I'm going to go insane." She shivered at the thought of Jackson's arms around her forcing her into a reluctant embrace.

A knock sounded at the door and a moment later, Jackson stepped through the door. "Lisa, why are you're lights still on at this hour?" He asked. Lisa shrugged. "I'm not that tired." She lied. Lisa felt exhausted everyday but the nightmares that she had were getting progressively worse and she forced herself to stay awake as long as possible.

He sighed. "Why do you persist in lying to me?" Shaking his head. "The walls are thin in this house, Leese. I can hear your screams every night. Why don't you tell me the truth?"

"So you can do what? Drug me?" Lisa snapped. "David just died and you are holding me here against my will, Jack." Jackson sat next to her on the bed. "It's only for your protection Leese." He reached out to touch her cheek and she jerked her face away. She crawled off the bed to a standing position. "I'm hungry." She muttered. Lisa didn't want to have to deal with her mixed emotions about Jackson's advances. Those very same feelings were the ones that got her into trouble at the airport when they first had met.

He regarded her coolly. "Fine, come into the living room." He said. Jackson was fustrated since the time he bated her into breaking down. Lisa acted erratically going from being terribly angry to constantly depressed. "Locking her in this house can't be good for her." His inner voice whispered. But Jackson wasn't sure what else he could do to protect her. Despite his best efforts he couldn't find the local base in Europe where DARPA's new team was centralized.

As Jackson started to proceed towards the kitchen, Lisa's voice interrupted his train of thought. "Could I do it?" She looked down for a moment. "I haven't cooked in a while, not since..." She couldn't seem to finish. The shadows under her eyes seemed to get darker as her thoughts went back to happier moments.

"That's kind of you to offer Leese. I suppose I wouldn't mind a break." He said as he sat down on the couch and observed her for a moment while she picked out the ingredients for a cheese omlette and mixed them together. Preparing two plates Lisa hesitantly brought one of the plates to where Jackson was sitting.

He sampled the omlette and gave her a smile of approval as she sat down at the kitchen table. "I always thought you prefered scrambled eggs in the middle of the night Lisa?" He asked.

She glanced at him. "David prefered omlettes to just plain scrambled eggs. It used to be our habit to wake up in the middle of the night on weekends and we would talk about nothing really in particular. It was just a time we could spend to connect with each other." Her voice sounded hollow.

Jackson finished the omlette and took his plate over to the sink. He walked to the kitchen table and put his hand over Lisa's. "You could try talking to me."

Lisa looked at him furiously, yanking her hand back and got up from the table. She walked over the the window in the living room putting her hand on the glass as she looked at the night sky. "It's beautiful." She thought. "I wish I could be out there without worry. I wish I could be free." She smiled inwardly. "Soon." She thought as she turned to look back at Jackson. With relief she saw the first signs of drowsiness go through him. It was risky crushing the muscle relaxants she had found in the comprehensive first aide kit in the kitchen but it was only plan she could think of at the moment.

Each day that passed by, Jackson had seemed to be crushing the safeguards she had put up around herself. Lisa felt exposed and at risk of losing control. She had to get away and get her mind focused again. In this house, she couldn't even trust her own thoughts.

Looking at Jackson, he had gotten up and stumbled to the couch putting his hand to his head. "What have you done?" He asked her.

Lisa glanced at him coldly. "The better question Jack is what have you done to me?" She asked bitterly as he collapsed unconcious under the weight of the drugs. Running to the counter, she grabbed his keys and unlocked the front door. The cold air was refreshing to her after being trapped for days at a time inside. Opening the driver's side door, she started the car and immediately headed down the road back to the highway. She had no idea which way to go since she had no knowledge of even what country she was in.

"My guess is good as any." Lisa thought to herself as she turned right, heading down the long, unending road. An hour went by as she drove along the seemingly endless fields dotted with little farms until finally, she saw a sign for an approaching town. "Avignon." Lisa said as she saw the sign. "I'm back in France." She shook her head in disbelief as she saw stores come into view with little outdoor cafes. David and Lisa spent the first three months in France going from province to province in hopes of eluding DARPA. Her mind flashed back on a memory of eating lunch at one of those cafe's, simply experiencing the pleasure of being together.

She pulled the car into a gas station hoping that someone spoke English. Her smattering of French was pitiful. Approaching the attendant, he glanced up at her. "Oui?" He asked respectively. "Tu parle anglais?" She asked. (Do you speak English). The attendant frowned and said "Oui, je parle un peu." (I speak a little)

Lisa breathed a sigh of relief. "Do you have a telephone?" She asked desperately. He nodded. "Oui, mademoiselle. Over there." He pointed to the pay phone located on the outside of the station. She smiled gratefully. "Merci beaucoup." (Thank you very much)

Grabbing the phone, she dialed zero to be connected to the operator and asked to make a collect call to Charles Keefe in Washington. His voice mail clicked on and Lisa left him a desperate message regarding her plight. Reluctantly, she hung up the phone knowing that she had to wait a couple hours and try back. She decided to walk along the quiet streets of Avignon before heading back to the car, to enjoy the fresh air as opposed to the confines of indoors. She then pondered where to go from here. She had no money as Jackson had taken her from the house without her purse. It was tempting to call Cynthia or her mother and ask for help.

Shaking her head wryly, she knew they would be shocked and angry to hear that she was still alive. "I had a very public funeral." She thought. "How's that for my fifteen minutes of fame?" It was morbid to think about her funeral when there were assasins on her trail. "Or are they still?" Lisa asked herself. "Maybe they thought I died with the explosion."

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed two men walking on the other side of the street with leering expressions on their faces. Lisa could tell they were bad news from the way they glanced at her with eyes full of violence and lust. She shivered. "Definitely not from DARPA." She thought looking at their clothes which were ratty and old. "Probably a street gang." She quickened her pace to get to the car faster.

The two strangers who watched her crossed the street in her direction and she started to run however her ankle protested against her. One of the men ran in front of her cutting off her escape route and grabbed her wrist yanking her into an alley. She tried to scream but her cry was cut off as a dirty hand slapped her across the face. His partner caught up with them and he smiled at her obscenely muttering threatening words in French to her she didn't understand. Lisa didn't have to know what he was saying to understand his intent as she wildly struggled against the two ruffians as one of them started to stick a hand up her shirt. "No." She screamed. "Please, not again."

A punch landed across her head which caused blackness to well up in her vision. "Don't pass out." She told herself as she placed a well centered kick to her captor's knee. He howled in pain and looked at her with a murderous glint in his eye. He grabbed a knife from his jacket as Lisa tried to evade his attack.

A shot rang out from a distance and to Lisa's immense shock, one of her assailants fell to the ground, his blood splattering on her grey sweatshirt. "This can't be happening." She thought numbly as she turned to see Jackson struggling with her other attacker. Lisa paused for a moment as she observed the scene. "No. I need to get out of here." She said to herself propelling her feet into motion as she half ran, half walked her way to the other side of the alley.

Striving to get back to the car, she nearly fell as she ran into a man that stood before her. The man grasped her shoulders keeping her steady. She looked at his face and gasped. "Sean?" She asked as the memory of Jackson's assistants on the plane came back to her. "What are you doing here."

He smiled coldly at her. "Why, finishing the job Miss Reisert like Rippner should have. Don't you like the present I sent you?" He asked indicating the prior alleyway where the two criminals had attacked her. "I saw them and instantly thought of you. Isn't that sweet? I never knew what he could see in a pathetic little thing like you." Reaching in his bag, "I guess we'll never find out will we?" Lisa tried to stall. "You came out here on your own or are there more idiots like you standing around here making sure you don't screw up?"

He grabbed her around the neck lifting her off her feet. "This is personal Miss Reisert. You see, Mike was my brother and I swore on his grave that I would personally do away with Jackson's whore." Lisa fought for air, clawing at his hands yet his grip remained firm.

A voice sounded behind them. "You never very good at keeping your promises Sean." Jackson said coldly. Sean's face contorted in pain as he suddenly dropped Lisa to the ground. She staggered away from them gasping for air. A knife was sticking out of Sean's mid back as he fell to the ground on one knee trying to grasp the handle in the midst of his agony.

"I can't watch this." Lisa thought in horror as she whirled around and managed to walk out of the alley to the street parallel to where she parked the car. Her mind was in chaos of the images she had seen. Jackson had saved her life again however he killed viciously to do it. Her sweatshirt was still dappled in blood as she stumbled as quickly as she could down the street frantically looking for a place to hide.

Spotting two cars parked next to each other, she ducked between them. She heard footsteps resonate on the pavement as she cursed the fact that it was still the middle of the night and the town was silent. "What am I doing?" She thought to herself. "What is the point?"

Suddenly somebody grabbed her around the waist, yanking her backwards. "Did you think it would be that easy, Miss Reisert?" Sean's voice said filled with animosity. "You're boyfriend is really handy with knives but he's still in the alley trying to figure out where I stumbled off to. Hey, Lisa want to see a magic trick?" The knife suddenly appeared into her field of vision.

"Sean, let her go. This is getting old." Jackson said as he suddenly appeared out of enclosed alley. Sean sneered at the gun in his hand. "You're a lousy shot Rippner. You will never get one off without hurting her and you know it."

"You know, Sean, you might be right. But all the same, you hurt her and you aren't leaving here alive." Jackson replied icily. Sean's knife dug into her throat. "Oh, I think I'll have some fun with her first if you don't mind Rippner." Sean said pulling her backwards. "Don't worry, I'll send her back one piece at a time."

"You know Sean, I think I should let you in on a little secret." Jackson said darkly giving him an enigmatic smile. His gun went off and Sean fell back clutching his shoulder as Lisa crawled away from him. "I've been practicing." He said. Walking up to Sean he bent lower so he could whisper directly into his ear. "Let this stand as a warning from me to my dear associates at DARPA what will happen if anybody approaches Lisa or myself again. Next time I won't be so forgiving."

Lisa was struggling to get to her feet and stumbled backwards as Jackson approached her, his blue eyes full of rage. Grabbing her elbow, he dragged her back through the alley. "You always have to be so clever Lisa but you never seem to be able to pay attention." Her head was swimming in confusion. "Where are we going?" She asked her thoughts muddled.

"Well, thanks to your little stunt, we now have to leave. We're not safe here." He said as he propelled her to the car. "Jack, please..." Lisa started to say as Jackson pulled her along. "What, Leese?" He asked viciously. "Leave you here? I can't do that. You know why, Lisa?" He asked as he pushed her against the car and grabbing her chin. "Because I'm in love with you. God knows, that I've tried not to be but I can't help it." He sighed. "And what do I get in response to saving your life. You're constant hate and loathing." He shook his head. "I know what I've been and what I am. You don't have to hate me, Lisa. I already am perfectly capable of doing that on my own."

Lisa was silent, uncertain of what to say. Before she had accused him of being obsessed without really being in love but at this point, did she really hate Jackson? She definitely detested who he was but now David was dead and she was forced to live with a man that she only learned to regard as her enemy.

"I don't hate you Jackson." She said softly. "Once I did but now I simply feel sorry for you." She said finally. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry. I should have listened but I have a really difficult time trusting a person who has made it their career to be a murderer."

Jackson said nothing in response but wordlessly pushed her into the car. Lisa closed her eyes and put her hands to her head. She felt nauseated by the turmoil of the day as well as the uncertainty inside her heart. "Suck it up, Lisa. We have a long ride ahead of us." He said coldly to her getting into the driver's seat.

"Yes we do." Lisa thought. "But when will the journey end?" Jackson sped out of Avignon heading for the border as Lisa shivered in the passenger seat. For once her mind was not plagued with fear but was experiencing the first twinges of remorse.

**I'm sorry, it actually took me longer to write this because I had to think of where my story was going and how best to get it into a set direction. I was experiencing some writer's block as well so hopefully it makes sense. **


	8. Flashbacks

Lisa woke up with a start gasping to the sound of Jackson's voice. "Bad nightmare?" He asked and she nodded mutely. She had fallen asleep from pure exhaustion in the passenger seat of the car to be tossed back into the parking lot once again where her rapist towered over her with his knife cruelly digging into her chest.

The two men in the alley seemed to have sparked the relentless dream once again. She felt dizzy from how close those men came to repeating the rape she had endured several years ago. Jackson had saved her from that horror but his anger at her escape caused him to lapse into a tense silence as he proceeded to drive down the darkened streets.

"They would have raped me again." Lisa muttered finally breaking the stillness of the car. Jackson glanced at her as his blue eyes caught her's in a knowing gaze. "Yes, Leese. They would have and I wonder what else would have happened if I hadn't arrived in time. Lucky for you, I have quite a tolerance for the common muscle relaxant and you never bothered to check the garage. I'm very meticulous in my planning even down to your escape attempt."

Lisa snapped back quickly. "It doesn't dawn on you why I had to try to escape, Jack? My husband is dead and you kept me locked up in a bedroom. I have no freedom and my only company is a man who has threatened to kill my family if I didn't go along with you." A tear went down her cheek. "I'm soon running out of family to threaten. All I want to do is go home without fear of retaliation."

Jackson shook his head. "You don't know how often I wish for that too. I can't offer you much, Lisa but my knowledge of DARPA. I have come to a decision though. We are going home." He said.

"What do you mean?" Lisa asked him feeling stunnned. "Jack, legally I'm dead. My family thinks I'm dead."

"For once in your life, you need to trust me Leese. It will be complicated but this is the best option." He exited the freeway he was driving on and an airport came into view. "Why are we here?" Lisa asked, her body tense. Airports brought back disturbing memories for her and the irony of Jackson being there was not lost on her.

Jackson looked at her without comment and Lisa shook her head slowly understanding his intent. "We're flying back now? On a commercial airline? Have you lost your mind?" She couldn't stop herself from askng the multitude of questions that swam through her mind. "I still have nightmares about being on a plane with you Jack and there is no way I'm getting on one with you now." She grabbed the handle of the car door.

Jackson seized her arm pulling her away. "Yes you will Lisa because I'm not letting you out of my sight and we both have to face this." He grabbed a passport out of his pocket and tossed it to her. Numbly she opened it to find her photo imprinted on the passport but the name on it was not hers. "My name is Karen Johnson?" She asked feeling drained. Her breaths came in short gasps as she considered her fear of embarking on such a flight with Jackson Rippner once again sitting at her side.

Even though he was in love with her, Lisa knew that much of the same man that had threatened her on the plane and dragged her to his base still existed inside him. "I can't do this." She thought to herself feeling her chest constrict inside her. She wished David was here. "Oh, God David help me." She pleaded silently. Jackson had exited the car and went around to the passenger door, opening it so Lisa could step outside.

Quietly they walked towards the terminal while Lisa's panicked thoughts raced through her. She had not flown a commericial flight since that dreadful night she had tried to escape Jackson. Even in her nightmares, Jackson was sitting there waiting for her on the plane with a dark smile on his lips. Now he was at her side and although he had saved her life, the thought of once again reencountering her fears by sitting next to him on a plane caused chills to go down her spine.

She tried to calm herself down and to reassure herself that he was not threatening her anymore. She wouldn't have to be forced to make calls to help assist an assasination plot. But in her mind, the echos from the that red eye flight resounded through her.

_She shook her head puzzled. "Ok, I'm not sure where you are going with this." She said when he had informed her that his business had to do with her that night. His cold smile stayed plastered on his face. "Charles Keefe? One of your regular VIPS? Ring a bell? He asked insidiously. _

_She was shocked but she tried not to show it on her face. "No. Should it?" She asked steadily. He sneered at her. "Yes, it should because right now he's on the way to your hotel and that is why you have to keep listening." Lisa stared at him in horror. "No, no, I don't think I have to that." She said her hand searching for the button to alert the flight attendant. Jackson's expression became menacing. "Yes, you do if you want your dad to live."_

"No." She thought irrationally. "Not again." They were just across from the terminal. The signal changed and Jackson started to walk through the crosswalk. Lisa, as she reflected on those moments came to decision. She couldn't face going through the flight again. Pivoting, she turned around and ran the other direction. Her ankle still wrapped in it's bandage was sore but she could barely feel the pain. Her mind was caught in the trauma of the past memories as she dashed into the darkened parking lot.

Arms instantly seized her around the waist propelling her into the dark blue honda that came across their path. "No, please don't make me do this." She screamed in protest. Jackson hand clamped over her mouth. "Leese, calm down." He said. She struggled violently as the flashbacks imprisioned her conciousness. "Lisa, shh. It's okay. You're not there anymore. That flight is over." Jackson's voice which haunted her past gently brought her back to the present as she collapsed onto the concrete of the parking lot trembling violently.

Jackson's arms were still around her as he sat down next to her on the parking lot. "Breathe." He whispered into her ear. Lisa was hyperventilating and her fear seemed to increase her gasps for air. "Lisa, you have to relax or you'll just make it worse. Take deep breaths." His calming voice started to have an effect on her as her breathing started to slow. "Come on Leese. You are almost there." He said reassuringly. With his arm around her, she stood up feeling dizzy. She stumbled backwards and his arm tightened around her, bracing her so she wouldn't fall.

Jackson paused to look at her pale, delicate features. "I've got you, Leese. I won't let go." He promised her as they proceeded slowly back to the terminal. Lisa felt the fear that had clutched her heart dissipate as she leaned against her former enemy feeling momentarily a sudden instance of security.

**Sorry that this chapter is kind of short but well it seemed like a good place to end it and I am spending time trying to think of how to develop the plot. **


	9. Realization

"We have to do this, Leese." Jackson's voice whispered in her ear. Lisa shuddered as she looked at the American Airlines counter feeling a sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach.

"_Why is this happening?"_ She asked herself as Jackson's arm wrapped supportively around her waist propelled her to the ticket agent. The agent looked up at the young couple and smiled at them. "How can I help you tonight?" She asked pleasantly as she observed the attractive man whose hand firmly grasped the arm of the pale, young woman at his side.

"Fear of flying?" She asked directing the question to Lisa. Lisa's green eyes glanced up at the ticket agent and she managed to nod mutely. "You'll be absolutely fine and you'll have your husband here to help you."

"He's not…" Lisa started to say and felt Jackson's fingers digging into her arm painfully. Tears welled up in her eyes. Jackson smiled coolly to cover for Lisa's distraught appearance. "Please excuse her. She's had a really bad day, haven't you Leese?" He asked with a commanding note in his voice.

Lisa nodded helplessly as her mind flashed back quickly. _"She's had a really bad day. A death in the family."_ She attempted to swallow the lump that was in her throat.

"Well sir, that's all right. I understand. Now, what can I do for you?" The ticket agent asked politely.

"We need two first class tickets to Washington D.C. on your earliest available flight." He stated firmly. The agent nodded looked at her computer. "Okay, we have flight 124 leaving in an hour. Do you have any baggage you would like us to check?"

Jackson shook his head and paid for the tickets thankful to have several credit cards under a variety of false names. Upon receiving the tickets, he gripped Lisa's arm and pulled her towards security. The customs agent after security asked her name. Her mind was full of conflict. "_I'm going home but I'm still his prisoner or am I? He saved my life but can I lie to customs?"_ She looked at Jackson helplessly as he caught her gaze with his eyes. The choice was hers but she was so uncertain.

His voice interrupted her train of thoughts. "I'm sorry. My wife has just been through a traumatic attack during her stay here. I can answer any questions you have for her." Jackson said.

The customs agent looked at Lisa's drawn face and nodded turning to Jackson. "I'm sorry to hear that sir." She simply stood there as Jackson proceeded to answer the questions. Once finished, he handed them back their passports. "Have a pleasant flight." The customs agent said.

Lisa felt herself being guided to a chair by the gate and she sat down heavily feeling exhausted by the events of the day. Jackson sat next to her and gripped her wrist. "That was close, Lisa." He said somberly. Lisa shook her head numbly. After a pause he continued, "Are you hungry, Leese?" He asked. She was silent. The idea of food was repellant to her even though she hadn't eaten since the day before and she put her hand to her mouth to quell the sensation of nausea. "I don't feel well." She said in response.

"That's because you haven't eaten. Get up." He ordered. She didn't react to his command. Taking her arm he managed to help her to her feet. Slowly, they walked to a smoothie stand where he managed to encourage her to drink part of a strawberry, pineapple blend before their flight was called.

She was reluctant to leave the warmth of the airport to get on the suffocating eight hour commercial flight with the man she had only known to be her nemesis but she knew she had no choice. Her enemy now became her only protector and she had to fight back her memories of the terror that she had experienced on the Fresh Air flight. She reassured herself that Jackson was only trying to help her and that seemed to give her a sense of security.

Jackson guided her to their seats located in the second row to the front of the plane where she sat down in the cushioned chair located by the window and buckled her seat belt. Sitting down next to her, he signaled the flight attendant with his hand. "Would you like anything to drink, Leese?" He asked her. Her once favorite drink floated back in her mind and she gave in to the temptation. "A grapefruit sea breeze, please." She said. Jackson let out a chuckle. "You sure this time, Leese?" He asked lightly. Lisa bit her lip almost feeling the urge to laugh rise up in her and nodded. She had given up the drink after the dreadful flight in an act to repress the horrible memories affiliated with that night. Now, she no longer wanted to hide herself from the things she once enjoyed.

He ordered a vodka and tonic and their drinks arrived as the coach class started to board the plane. Lisa sipped her drink as she started to feel a sense of relaxation ease over her tired body. It was an amazing feeling to be in a plane next to the man who had once been a threat to her having a drink almost as if the last two years didn't happen. Her fear was slowly dissipating as she turned to the man who was now her protector. "Thank you." She said. Her words were enough to encompass a sense of gratitude for having saved her life. She was finally going home.

**I suppose this is somewhat of a filler but I think it dwells moreso in Lisa's discovery of what her feelings are for Jackson. Thanks**


	10. Learning to Trust

Lisa watched numbly as the flight attendant closed the aircraft door. With a small jerk, the plane started to move propelling in the direction of the runway. The safety demonstration was completed and engines started to get louder as the plane increased in speed.

She clenched her arms rests feeling like her stomach was in knots. She closed her eyes feeling the plane leave the runway and took deep breaths counting in her head just trying to focus on the numbers that appeared in her mind.

Lisa felt her hand being taken and held. She opened her eyes to meet Jackson's blue ones as he had her hand in both of his. She didn't jerk her hand back in response but squeezed his hand in fear as a bout of turbulence rocked its way through the plane. The disgust she had once felt when Jackson touched her was replaced by a strange feeling of comfort.

"_He was once such a bastard and I refused to see the change inside him. I just chose to hold on to my hate."_ She thought. They had reached cruising altitude and the turbulence dissipated. "Thank you for helping me through this." She said, unconsciously emulating the words she had spoken to him on the Fresh Air flight. He smiled enigmatically at her. "That's not really what I was doing." He said mischievously.

"Then what are you doing?" She asked. He took her hand and brushed his lips on her palm. Lisa expected a part of her body to instantly recoil but she didn't. She felt frozen as the initial sensation she felt was one of distinct pleasure that ran through her body. When she didn't pull her hand back, Jackson reached out to caress her face.

She pulled back slightly. "Jackson, no. I can't, not this soon after David's death." She put her hand to cover her eyes. Her face was flushed from the startling intimacy of the moment.

He put his hand on her shoulder. "It's all right, Leese. I understand." He said. After a pause, he continued. "I lost my first wife years ago as well."

Lisa looked at him curiously. "You were married?" She asked. His eyes became distant as a look of sadness emanated from them. "Yes. I came home from work one day and she had dissapeared. They found her body at the bottom of a river weeks later. DARPA claimed that it was an act of retaliation from a previous mission but somehow I suspected that they had something to do with it." He said thoughtfully.

She shook her head in disbelief. "Why did you continue to work for them?" She asked.

"I didn't have a choice, Leese. I was forced into a training facility where sadly enough a lot of things I did to you at the base are just a shadow in comparison to what they did to me in that camp. My superiors simply wanted to eliminate you but I talked them into recruiting you instead to finish the mission I initially failed at." He said.

"They wanted to kill me from the beginning?" She asked, horrified.

"I was supposed to kill you after the flight as well as your father. After following you for weeks, I realized I just couldn't do that. A year was passing after my failure with the whole of the mission when my superiors were putting pressure on me to clean up the mess I made. They reluctantly decided to give me a shot at recruiting you but wanted to stick you in the same training facility to break you painfully and quickly. I couldn't allow it so I told them I'd do it myself." He said.

She trembled at the memory of what happened during that week in Las Vegas. "Jack, I felt I was going crazy. You locked me up in a windowless room where I was having hallucinations. You drugged me." She muttered.

His voice took on a sad note. "I know Leese. But at the time, I was trying to save your life. I rationalized my actions with logic that if I recruited you to work for us, your life would be safe and I could protect you."

She nodded feeling her residual animosity drain from her. She couldn't imagine the horrors he must have had to endure at the training camp but after everything she had been through, she didn't want to.

The flight attendant came to their seats offering dinner menus and Lisa accepted hers feeling hungry for the first time in days. Ordering the stuffed chicken, she handed the menu back to the stewardess. "I thought you always flew coach." Lisa asked Jackson, remembering their conversation briefly from two years ago.

"You told me you were all coach all the time. I merely agreed." He said. "Actually, beyond my job, I do enjoy flying first class especially on these international flights." Lisa stifled a laugh and relaxed back into the soft airline seat. A movie started to flicker on the screen and to her delight it was, "Finding Neverland".

"I've never seen this." Lisa whispered. In all the months of running, David and Lisa never had the opportunity to sit back and enjoy a movie. Now that David was gone, she felt guilty because now she was enjoying these idyllic pleasures without him here. In her mind, she berated herself for not experiencing the grief at his demise.

Jackson seemed to understand her expression. "Life never seems to stop Leese for you to take time to find enjoyment. I felt the same way after Karen died. You may think you deserve misery after his death but what would David want?" He asked.

Lisa reflected on the question as the flight attendants started to hand out salad plates. "_He'd want me to live." _She thought as she stabbed a piece of lettuce with her fork while watching an amusing scene in the movie where Johnny Depp was waltzing intermittently with a dog and then a grizzly bear.

"_He would have wanted me to laugh again." _She turned to Jackson. "We need to stop DARPA first." She said quietly. No longer was she a prisoner bent to do Jackson's will. Now with her statement, she finally acknowledged that they were a team.

"We will Lisa. I promise and you know that I would never lie to you." He said confidently taking her hand.

"I know." She whispered recalling all the pain she had endured in the past years but at this moment, none of that mattered. Jackson gripped her hand securely and Lisa understood the feeling she had been struggling with over the last few days. "_I trust him."_ She thought.


	11. Acquaintances

"_The world is upside down."_ Lisa thought momentarily as Jackson guided her out of the plane into the jetway. Fate had played its twisted sense of irony on her as she felt trust for the man who had once plagued her existence as an enemy. "_Truth is stranger then fiction." _Lisa thought as Jackson propelled her forward his hand gripping hers securely.

He walking incredibly fast and Lisa was gasping trying to keep up with her still damaged ankle. "Jack, wait. Slow down." Lisa said as he pulled her along his side insistently. "Jack, you know for a fact that I could never outrun you!" She said panting. Jackson looked back at her and slowed his pace slightly. "Leese, we need to get to a taxi as quickly as possible. My former associates could already know we are here." He stated, his voice edged slightly with determination. Lisa felt fear trickle through her and she attempted to quicken her stride as they walked through the sliding glass door to the thick humidity residing outside.

Jackson immediately hailed a cab and they scrambled inside quickly. To her surprise, he directed the cab towards Charles Keefe's office. "Why are we going there, Jack? You won't make it through security. He'll arrest you on site!" Terror clamped down on her heart. As long as it took her to trust Jackson, at this moment she couldn't bear the fact of losing that fragile sense of security.

"_I'm depending on him for my survival. Only weeks ago, I fought him with all the strength I had."_ Lisa shook her head in wonder at how her feelings toward him had changed. She recalled the nights he had unswervingly protected her and had broken through the paralysis around her heart forcing her to talk about the rape. Her confession inevitably led to his openness. _"We are similar creatures both haunted by our pasts trying to redeem ourselves for our misadventures."_

Jackson's blue eyes penetrated hers causing her heart to feel a gentle sense of warmth. "Trust me, Lisa. I won't let this get more complicated then it has to be." He was being vague and Lisa knew it. "You're not telling me something." She said with consternation. He sighed. "Not here, Leese." He stated with finality in his voice.

The cab pulled up next to Keefe's office building and they walked at a hurried pace into the lobby. A security agent approached them. "Is there something I can help you with?" He asked. Lisa was silent pondering what to say

"Tell Charles Keefe that Lisa Reisert and Jackson Rippner are here to see him." Jackson replied, casting the guard one of his vague, yet enigmatic grins.

The security guard picked up the phone at his security station and called up to the office. Upon his mentioning their names his expression took a tenser look as he glanced back at them. He hung up the phone. "Mr. Keefe is expecting you both. Please follow me." He said guiding them to a nearby elevator. The doors opened to Charles Keefe's outer office where his personal assistant was on the phone.

"Yes, I was told to tell you that they are both here. Then we'll see you shortly." She said hanging up the phone. "Go ahead inside." She said to Lisa and Jackson. Lisa's heart beat nervously at what Keefe's reaction would be to Jackson considering that he had made two separate attempts on Keefe's life. _"There is something here that I'm missing."_ She thought as they walked through the door.

"Lisa!" Charles Keefe exclaimed coming up to her and putting his arms around her in greeting. "I was so worried about you after that explosion." He released her and his eyes wandered over to Jackson observing him. "So, the infamous Jackson Rippner in person?" He asked. Jackson returned his gaze coolly and stuck out his hand which Keefe shook slowly. "At last we meet in person." Keefe said.

_"In person?"_ Lisa asked herself. Shaking her head she addressed Keefe. "I know this is unusual Charles with both our pasts with Jackson however he protected me from that explosion and we need your help." She pleaded.

A smile broke out on Keefe's face. "Of course I'll help you Lisa. I've been expecting you all day." He said. Lisa's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean you've been expecting us?" She asked feeling confused.

Sighing, Keefe sat down behind his desk. "Lisa, this will be difficult to explain but I've always looked out for your best interests and your safety. You know that, right?" He asked. She nodded hesitantly. He continued. "Jackson has been in contact with me since before the explosion took place. A few months after the disaster at the wedding, he contacted me and agreed to give me confidential information about criminal activities inside DARPA in exchange for his complete immunity."

Lisa was stunned. She looked at Jackson, her expression weary. "You never told me this, Jack." She said. Jackson smiled casually. "You never asked." Lisa was seething in frustration. _"Why must he pull that whole indifference act with me again?"_ Keefe seemed to frown. "I'm sorry, Lisa. You weren't meant to find out about it this way. Jackson told me he was going to tell you himself about this and the other situation in due course." Keefe's office phone rang and he picked it up.

"What situation, Jack?" She asked turning on Jackson fiercely, her green eyes lit with a sudden burst of anger. "What else haven't you told me?"

Jackson paused in that moment, trying to find the right words. "Leese, I knew about the explosion in advance. I managed to intercept the frequency of the detonator to trigger the car bomb early. Our hopes were that DARPA would think you both died in the resulting fire."

Lisa found that her hands were shaking from fear combined with disbelief. _"No." _She thought._ "That could only mean that David..."_

The door opened and David Rosen, her former husband walked through perfectly unscathed.


	12. Honesty

"No!" Lisa screamed upon seeing David. "How dare you!" She yelled at Jackson. "How dare all of you doing this to me! Do you know what I've been through?" Turning to Jackson, seething in rage she spat out, "I trusted you. Despite all I've been through at your hands, I decided to trust you. How could you betray me like this, you coward?" Her hand flew out and slapped him across the face.

She couldn't even look at David as he walked over to Charles Keefe's desk and leaned against it. "Lisa..." He started to say. "Don't even speak it, David. I don't even want to look at you much less talk to you!" She exclaimed, her voice filled with disgust. "I'm done here. All of you just stay away from me." She cried out as she ran out of the room. Tears of pain filled her eyes as distantly she heard her name being called from behind her. She grabbed the handle for the stairs not wishing to wait for the elevator so that any one of them could have a chance of catching up to her.

_"All this time, Jackson let me grieve knowing that David was alive. Why?" _She thought as her feet pounded down the stairs. Finally she made it to the lobby floor and slipped outside without letting the guards see her. As her feet hit the pavement, she hurried down the sidewalk trying to put as much distance between her and the traitors that were in the building behind her. _"What is it with men that they think they must protect us. Are women so weak and delicate that we can't possibly handle actual truth and honesty?"_ Lisa cursed herself for letting down her guard. Jackson openly deceived her. _"Yeah, what happened to his statement-I'll never lie to you because it doesn't serve me. What a bunch of crap" She_ thought darkly.

In her disgust she realized that she was thinking more about Jackson's betrayal then of David's sudden return. Shaking her head, trying to rid her mind of the thoughts of Jackson that crept through it she tried to quicken her pace. Her eyes darted around looking for a payphone so she could contact her mother. Lisa knew her mother would be shocked to hear from her but she didn't have any options. She had no access to her accounts and the only item she carried with her was a fraudulent passport.

Upon remembering the passport she carried in her pocket, in disgust she stopped by a garbage can on the street and tossed it inside unaware of the car that was pulling along side her. "Lisa, get in the car." Jackson said from the driver's seat. Whirling around in disgust, Lisa sneered at him. "Go to hell, Jack!" She said loathingly as she started to walk in the opposite direction of the car. "Leese, don't make me come out there. Just get in the car." He said warningly.

Lisa stopped and turned to him. "You must be insane to think I'd go anywhere with you after today. How's that for some male base fact driven logic? Just stay the hell away from me." She continued to hurry away from him taking strides to make it to the office building when she heard footsteps behind her and felt his arms seize her around the waist. Struggling against him she cried out to the pedestrians who were passing by. "Help me!" She screamed. "He's kidnapping me!" Jackson pushed her against the car and shoved his knee into the small of her back while he shifted his grasp so he was holding her wrists with one hand.

Several people stopped to watch this struggle in alarm as they whispered to each other in concern. Jackson pulled an ID out of his pocket showing it to the small crowd. "I'm with secret service on assignment. There is nothing to see here. Please move along." He ordered. _"No, this can't be happening."_ She thought as she viciously struggled against him. But she knew it could. If he had been working for Keefe, he would have been provided with an ID.

"Leese, please stop embarrassing yourself. You are only going to make it worse." Jackson whispered. "I was only trying to protect you. Keefe and David were doing the same thing. You are not safe here on the streets."

Her anger clouded her judgment as she tried to pull her wrists free. "Get off me, you traitor." She cried. "Have you been honest to me about anything, Jack. Did your wife really die or is she just a story of convenience?"

"I didn't lie to you Lisa." He said turning her around so she was facing him and grabbed her wrists with both of his hands. "Now just get in the car." He ordered firmly. Rather then obey him, Lisa attempted to knee him in the abdomen and know him off balance but Jackson easily sidestepped her. "Fine, if this is the way you want to play it." He said grabbing a pair of cuffs from his pocket, he cuffed her wrists. Opening the front door, he pushed her inside the passenger door and walked to the driver's side while Lisa tried to open the door. She realized quickly that it could only be unlocked by the driver and she felt helpless at her apparent captivity.

Jackson got inside and started the car. "That was great, Lisa. I mean, I know it was a shock to you but do you really think that Charles Keefe, David and I would all conspire just to hurt you?" He asked acerbically.

"You don't get it, Jack." Lisa exclaimed. "I decided against all of my reasoning to trust you. Despite everything that you did to me in the past two years, I learned to count on you and even to care about you." Her voice trembled as she continued. "But you just couldn't be open with me. I felt like I was dying inside when I thought David was dead. You told me he was dead yourself and I believed you. God only knows that when we first met in the airport I trusted you then too. Yet you betrayed my trust as you always do, Jack. I suppose all men have something in common. You just take what you need at the time and to hell with how I feel about it!"

With that, she started to cry openly and she put her cuffed hands to her face to hide the torrential rain of tears that fell down her cheeks. She felt Jackson take her arms gently to try and pull them from her face. "No..." She protested shaking her head. _"I don't want him to see me like this."_ She thought. Despite her protests he managed to pull her hands from her face and gently put his arm around her pulling her to his lap as she huddled against him. He stroked her hair and rocked her gently as her racking sobs continued. "I know Lisa and I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you this way." She felt his lips on her forehead and she didn't recoil this time but felt comforted by the gesture.

"Don't let this happen again." She managed to choke out. He caressed her tear stained face gently. "Never, Leese. I never meant to hurt you like this." He promised and he meant it. He was willing to do anything to save her even if it meant risking his own life. His mind wandered back as he cradled Lisa's trembling figure. He recalled the question she asked him last about if he truly loved her. Now he knew with utmost certainty that he did. At the beginning, she was an obsession and now Lisa was his life. _"I now know the difference between chasing dreams and pursuing the reality."_ He thought grimly to himself.


	13. Breakdown

Lisa rubbed her wrists gingerly after Jackson removed the handcuffs and pulled the car out into the midst of traffic. "Did you really have to put cuffs on me?" She asked petulantly.

Jackson smirked at her. "No, I could have drugged you instead but somehow I thought you wouldn't prefer that. She sighed in response and glanced at herself in the mirror. "I look like a complete mess." She muttered as she saw that her red hair usually brushed back neatly was a tangled mess and her green eyes were blood shot.

"Ah, Leese if I may say so, I think it looks charming." He said humorously. She glared at him. "Great, thanks Jack. That really means something." She said mockingly. "Now, I think you need to be open with me. I want to know why I was never told about David."

She said firmly.

Jackson sighed, dreading this conversation. "This is going to be hard for you to understand Lisa but once I found out about the car bomb and told Keefe about it, David contacted me. The original plan before was for me to detonate the bomb early and I was supposed to take you both to a safe house."

Lisa shook her head. "Then what happened? What changed?" She asked.

"David called me and asked for a change of plans. He wanted me to inform you that he died in the explosion. He wanted to go back to Washington DC and work with Keefe to apprehend the DARPA agents who were responsible for the assassination attempts you are aware of plus a variety of other crimes." He said his eyes fixed firmly on the road.

Lisa absorbed this but she was still missing a key factor here. "I still don't understand why he asked you to tell me he was dead." She said.

"The thing is Leese, he didn't think he was of any benefit to you. He stated that you refused to be open with him about several past events of course two of which happened with me. He wanted to help you Lisa but you threw up a brick wall to protect yourself. He wouldn't go into a lot of details, but at the time I was told to protect you at all costs."

He paused and glanced at her. Lisa was rubbing her temple where a headache was starting to form.

"David wanted to leave me?" She asked in disbelief. "And he just left me with you?"

"I know, ironic isn't it but David, Charles Keefe and I have been in contact constantly. With the information I have given them, several agents have been arrested. They knew that I would never be a threat to you but they also knew you wouldn't stay with me willingly. I was supposed to tell you about my work with Keefe after you adapted to your situation. Unfortunately, you chose to escape and our safe house was compromised. I was forced to bring you here. Keefe received your voice message that you left and I was immediately contacted and given your location." He stated.

"I can't believe David wanted to leave me." She said as sorrow and anger overwhelmed her. "Why didn't he tell me to my face?" Lisa asked.

"I don't know a lot of those answers but I believe he felt you would be less inclined to stay with me if he tried to explain the circumstances. He figured with your past, dealing with his death rather then dealing with his abandonment would be simpler." He replied.

"Irregardless, that means David and I are still married." Lisa said spitefully. Her fury with David overwhelmed her. The thought that she would just get over his death more rapidly then his apparent betrayal was patently absurd.

"Actually, Leese, not quite. When he arrived back at the states he got a default divorce just in case you reemerged. Technically you are still considered missing if not dead already." Jackson stated. His voice softened. "David loved you a great deal but you turned into quite the loner and cut yourself off from him. As much as he tried to get you to open up, you refused. He made efforts to make sure you were protected however. He risked a lot for you, Lisa."

She clasped her hands in deep thought feeling the pain of the words Jackson said to her. She knew that she had closed herself off from David. In her mind, she thought she was sparing him the perpetual grief and horror she had endured. The agony of finding out about David's deceit the way she did completely horrified her.

Jackson pulled up in front of Keefe's office and Lisa followed Jackson reluctantly back inside the lobby. Her paces slowed right before they entered the elevator as she looked at the small chamber hesitantly, her heart pounding. "_I can't go back there and face him."_ She thought feeling nauseated.

"I can't do go up there again." She said to Jackson as tears blurred her vision. She turned around to head towards the restroom to expel the pain that this day had caused her in the privacy the room would offer her. However, Jackson stepped up behind her, grabbing her elbow and started to pull her back into the elevator. "I know this is difficult Leese but you need to suck it up and stick with me right now. We need to find another safe house and get there right away. We are running out of time." He said.

Suddenly the front doors of the lobby burst open and before security could react, a hail of bullets brought them to the ground. A dozen men had burst into the lobby and a familiar voice commanded. "Everyone on the ground right now. Anyone moves will be shot instantly."

Lisa stood paralyzed as she saw Sean enter the building with the contingent of men in dark suits. _"DARPA" _She thought. Her position was obscured by two of the marble fountains that graced the lobby floor and from her hiding place she felt terror clamp down on her heart at what was happening.

She nearly screamed as Jackson's arm went around her waist pulling her backwards into the elevator in one swift moment. A gasp escaped her throat which echoed in the unexpected silence. She heard Sean's voice from the elevator. "Rippner, I know you're here. Is your whore there with you too?" He asked menacingly.

Jackson put his hand over Lisa's mouth and pushed the button for Keefe's office. Finally the doors obliged closing slowly. At the sudden noise of the creaking elevator doors, she heard gunshots and saw bullets tearing through the metal just barely missing her. The doors finally shut and the elevator lurched upwards.

She gave a brief sigh of relief until she heard a groan at her side. Jackson had sagged to the floor clutching his shoulder as blood surged from the wound. _"Oh, God no." _Lisa thought as she immediately bent down on her knees beside him and put her hand directly over the would to staunch the blood. "Jack, stay with me." She said, feeling panic well up in her throat. His eyes seemed to go out of focus momentarily. _"I can't let him sleep." _She thought as she shook him gently. "Damn it Jack, don't do this to me. I need you." She said pleadingly. The doors finally opened as Charles Keefe and his assistant were both standing in the outer office talking frantically.

"Help me!" Lisa cried to them and they instantly turned around to face her seeing her huddled over Jackson's prone figure. They ran to her aide as she still had her palm clenched over the bullet wound. "Don't leave me, Jack." She whispered to him as his eyes tried to meet hers. "Leese…" He seemed to murmur. She took his other hand as she gently put her lips to his.

**Well, here it is...the beginning I should say of their romance. I'm not sure if this is still too rushed. Let me know. **


	14. Takeover

Lisa pulled back from Jackson instantly shaking her head. _"What was I doing?"_ She thought. Her mind reeled in disbelief that she had actually initiated something so intimate. She tried to rationalize it as an act to draw his focus and keep him awake so that he wasn't propelled into shock. She felt herself being pulled back from her awkward position by Charles Keefe and David.

"We have a medic on this floor so he'll dress the wound until we can get a doctor." Keefe said to her. Lisa nodded and slowly turned to David whose face mimicked her own consternation. In fact, his look at her was one of disgust. "Was that it, Lisa? Was he the reason you couldn't talk to me about what happened on that base?" He asked angrily.

"You have no right to even ask me, David since you were the one who allowed me to believe you were dead." She said feeling bile creep up in her throat. "You would actually accuse me of having some sordid affair with him? You just think I would be brainwashed so easily. You had no idea what I had to deal with when I found out you were dead. I wanted to die." She cried as tears welled up in her eyes.

David's face softened visibly. "I'm sorry Lisa. I really am but you were so closed off and I wasn't sure if you still felt the same way about me anymore. When I saw you…" His voiced trailed off as he looked at Jackson's prone figure as the medic sterilized his wound.

"I was only trying to keep him alert, David. If you really think that I could fall in love with the same man who has kidnapped me twice then you honestly don't know anything about me." She paused. "However, I don't hate him anymore and he has saved my life. That is worth something." She said quietly.

She continued. "David I loved you. I thought hearing all the horrible details of what happened would be a burden to you and would awaken more of my nightmares. I never meant to shut you out but I did anyway. I isolated myself on purpose." She whispered.

David took her hand. "It's my fault too. I didn't even tell you face to face. I was a coward. I still love you Lisa but I couldn't deal with not wholly being a part of your life. I'm not sure you are ready for that either." He replied.

Charles Keefe walked up to the couple with a look of urgency on his face. "Jackson will be fine for now. The medic managed to stop the bleeding and he's coming around. However, we have a more pressing emergency. There are hostages down in the lobby and Sean is demanding a trade." He said.

Lisa looked at him questionably. "What trade?" She asked.

He sighed. "You in exchange for the hostages." He stated. "Me? Why me? To him, I'm merely Jackson's momentary distraction." She said.

"We told them that Jackson's wound was fatal and they knew you didn't get shot." He told her.

Lisa looked at the men who stood there waiting for her to speak. In her mind, she felt a disarray of emotions. _"What keeps me going? David left me and now what. Pursue a relationship with a man who threatened to kill me or my family?" _She couldn't rationalize the lives of all the innocent hostages to be taken on her account.

"Fine, tell them we'll do the trade." She said with confidence she didn't feel.

Keefe shook his head. "No, Lisa. I do not intend to trade you. It has been the procedure that we do not negotiate with terrorists no matter if they are Americans or not. We have SWAT teams on the way. We'll stall for time."

Jackson's voice echoed in. "Did I miss anything important?" He asked casually leaning against his uninjured shoulder.

She glanced at him. "Don't you think you should be resting with that arm?" She asked.

"Well, I could Leese, but not if you intend to do something stupid like going down there by yourself to face Sean." He said.

"It is my choice to make, Jack. Stalling for time will only necessitate the killing of innocent people. I must go down." She said as she headed towards the elevator.

David stood in front of her blocking her from the elevator. "I can't let you do this Lisa." He said forcefully.

Lisa felt exasperated. "Fine, David. Let's say I don't go down there. Jack, why don't you tell me what they'll do while we stall for time." She demanded.

Jackson paused and his face had an imperceptible frown. "They'll kill someone every fifteen minutes until they're demands are granted." He said gazing at Lisa. "But none of that matters. I'm not gambling your life in hopes of saving people he might choose to kill anyway regardless."

"I thought another manager such as your self wouldn't lie in that situation? How could you treat the lives down there with such disregard?" She asked in disbelief.

He shrugged. "I don't lie in particular. I never said the same about my compatriots. You're life happens to have more value to me then others."

Lisa glanced at the three men who looked at her intensely. Her voice filled with reluctance as she said, "Fine. I can't outrun you all." She said as bitterness filled her tone. Looking at them scornfully, she asked "Could I use the restroom then? Do I have permission to do that?" She asked derisively.

Without waiting for a response, she headed towards the restroom. Jackson approached her and gripped her arm. "Lisa, I'm only looking out for you. What you suggested to do was suicide. Sean will kill you without hesitation and he'll enjoy it." He stated.

Lisa turned to him and her gaze softened as she reflected on the past. He was part of her nightmares for years as she stumbled along trying to escape the memories and therefore disconnected herself from those she loved the most. He had changed and reemerged as her protector. Despite what he had recently done for her, there were certain things she couldn't be altered.

Her heart bore the weight of the attacks Jackson had made on her. As she stared at him she realized, "_There are something's that just cannot be."_

Out loud she said "I know Jackson. It's okay." She said and entered the bathroom.

Minutes swam by as Jackson collaborated with Keefe and David as to the best strategy of how to deter Sean until he looked up at the clock realizing that Lisa had not come out of the bathroom in the last ten minutes.

He broke of his conversation with them heading straight to the bathroom door and kicked the door open effectively breaking the lock. "Damn it." He seethed as he noticed that the back door to the bathroom was open. Instantly, he headed for the stairs wincing at the pain in his shoulder. Lisa had gone downstairs while their backs were turned to face off with Sean once more.


	15. Failure to Negotiate

Lisa rushed down the metal stairs hearing in the distant echo of footsteps behind her. She quickly reevaluated her decision knowing Jackson would eventually catch up to her. The elevators were locked down to isolate the gunmen from the rest of the building so Lisa was cut off from the most direct route of escape. Her ankle was in agony from the pain of all the exertion from her previous flight.

She continued her hurried pace down the steps praying that Jackson's injury to his shoulder would weaken him giving her some advantage. As she made it to the bottom level, she started to wrench open the door and swore silently to herself when she found the door was locked. "Damn it!" She hissed between her teeth. Seeing the stairs leading to the garage underneath the building, she rushed to climb down the staircase.

Before she could place a foot on the stairwell, she was slammed against the wall as a hand grasped the back of her neck. "Nice try, Leese." Jackson's voice whispered in her ear. "What would have me do, Jack?" She asked struggling against him. "Oh wait, I already know that answer. Why don't we go and have a latte together and sit back until it's all over?" She asked acerbically.

Jackson didn't answer but grabbed her right wrist in order to propel her upstairs back to the office. Lisa refusing to be simply dragged off to safety seized the railing of the stairs and held on tightly. "Jack, you cannot be complacent about people's lives or are you really that cold hearted. I thought you had changed." She said spitefully.

He slammed her against the wall enraged. "You have seem to forgotten what I'm capable of Lisa." He said digging his fingers into her wrists. Lisa looked at him without fear. "No Jackson, I haven't." She said sorrowfully. Realization suddenly dawned on his face as he suddenly released her.

"I can't let you go out there, Leese." He muttered as he reached out to touch her cheek. Quietly she turned away. "I can't. Too much has happened between us and as much as I would like to forget, I just can't. If you really want to change, you must do that for yourself. I shouldn't be the reason for it." She said.

A voice resonated down the staircase. "Oh, isn't that sweet? The two lovebirds themselves." She whirled around to see Sean glowering at them from behind aiming a revolver at them.

Lisa felt a wave of panic radiate through her and she tried to swallow. "I came down here for the hostages. You have me so let them go." She said trying to put courage in her tone.

Sean sneered at her. "Oh, how noble. The whore has principles." He said menacingly as he headed down the staircase towards them. Jackson moved to stand in front of Lisa. "Rippner, stay where you are unless you want me to hand off your little girlfriend to my guys out there. I must say that their appetites are insatiable." He said smiling darkly.

"Now, you are both going to follow me out into the lobby and if any of you try to pull something, Miss Reisert here will be the first to suffer the consequences." He warned grabbing Lisa's arm.

Jackson's face looked impassive as he watched Sean haul Lisa up the stairs. His fustration was evident as he gazed at his former subordinate with a withering contempt. In reflection, he should have killed Sean while he had the chance. A momentary weakness came over him at the time where he didn't wish to traumatize Lisa further by shooting Sean in front of her.

He proceeded up the stairs after Lisa and followed them into the closed off lobby. "Now what Sean?" He asked coolly.

Sean released Lisa's arm and glared at Jackson. "Sit with the others and shut up." He said forcefully. Lisa paused as she glanced at the numerous hostages behind her. Two of them were children likely part of the daycare center that the building provided. "You said you would let the hostages go. I'm here so there is no reason for them to remain." She said as dread coursed through her.

Sean shook his head. "I don't have policies about behing honest with enemies like Rippner here. You see, we want to send a message to Americans about traitors such as yourselves. We would have done this either way but having you here just adds to the fun." He said smiling malevolently.

Horror radiated through her as she numbly turned to Jackson to see his reaction. His eyes were frozen as they stared at Sean in utter fury. He blinked and then looked at Lisa. He gave her a slight nod. "_What does he mean by that?"_ She thought as she turned to the hostages looking at a little girl who sat huddled next to one of the stone pillars crying. _"I have to do something."_ She thought desperately.

In her peripheal vision, she saw the other gunmen wheeling in steel cannisters and for a moment, Lisa was confused as the men proceeded to enter a room in the back of the lobby. Squinting her eyes, the truth hit her as the door swung closed to reveal it's location. "_The ventilation room." _Lisa whispered closing her eyes as the monstronsity of what Sean was planning spread through her. She didn't need Jackson to tell her that they were going to use biological weapons on the entirity of the building and no one present would survive.

**Sorry this is somewhat short but I wished to save the climax next chapter and plus I wanted to have the day to work on it tomorrow. I would have gotten this done faster but we actually were busy at work.**


	16. Promises

_"The ventilation system goes throughout the entire building."_ Lisa thought. She felt frozen in place as she watched in horror as Sean directed half the men into the small room. The whole building was a target and this was by far worse then anything Jackson Rippner had planned in the past. Jackson's eyes were frozen on hers as she clenched her fists digging her nails into her palms.

A distraction had to be created after the gunmen were to leave the room. She looked at Sean as she tried to clear her mind. Thinking hard, she contemplated the strategy of using mindgames that Jackson had so lovingly employed on her at the base. She was sickened at the mere thought of what she had to do in order to gain Sean's attention. Once again she glanced at her fellow hostages as she saw the terror rage through them of their impending doom.

She swallowed a lump that formed in her throat as she inconspicuously picked up a silver plated pen that had fallen discarded to the floor. Carefully hiding it in her palm, she gave Jackson another fleeting look to make certain he understood her intent. He nodded to her and surreptisiously looked at the door to the ventilation room. She knew they only had moments between when the gas was expelled to close the vents to prevent the entire canisters from emptying into the building system.

Her voice became smooth as she focused on Sean. "Isn't there a way to negotiate on this, Sean?" She asked lightly as she quietly stepped towards him. His eyes turned towards her approaching figure and she saw him gaze at her in a way that brought bile to her already parched throat. Swallowing, she met his stare. "You know that I can be very accomodating when I want to be." She said as she put a slight note of desperation in her voice. She couldn't make it sound that this was easy for her however, she knew that Sean was the type of person who could make a deal just to reneg on it later. If he was tempted for a moment, that was all Lisa would need.

Sean evaluated her obviously forced flirtation but he considered the possibility of enjoying her in Jackson's view. Torturing Jackson more was an opportunity that he couldn't pass up. "What did you have in mind?" He asked coolly. Lisa eyes focused on his with determination. "Let some of the hostages go and you can leave the rest up to your imagination. I won't fight you." She said.

Sean glanced a Jackson and saw that his rivals eyes were smoldering in anger at what Lisa was proposing. "Well, what do you think Rippner? I bet she didn't give you the chance to lay her. Doesn't it bother you that I can get so easily what you have always wanted."

Jackson's blue eyes pierced Sean with a deathly glare. "Well, Sean that's all a matter of opinion, isn't it? I didn't ever choose to rape her so I suppose the answer is no. You'll definitely have me beat." He said icily.

Sean was enraged. He grabbed Lisa's arm tightly and she cried out in pain. "I'll take what I can get and hey, Rippner, you'll have front seats for the show."

Lisa felt Sean pull her to the hard tiled floor as as his hand struggled to dislodge her shirt. His body lay on hers heavily and she felt like she had to gasp for air. She could feel his fingers tangled in her hair as his breath radiated on her cheek. _"Bastard."_ She thought as anger soared through her. Lisa recalled the words that she said to Jackson on the plane. Quietly, she whispered "Sean, I promised long ago that this would never happen again." As she spoke, she swung her free arm with the pen into the vein at the side of his neck praying to hit an artery.

Sean gasped putting his hand to his neck, his gun momentarily forgotten as he fell off Lisa. Blood was surging from the wound and she felt gratitude overcome her that her prayers had been answered. Freed from him, she reached for the gun only to find that Jackson grabbed it first and was shooting at the remaining gunmen in the lobby. Lisa raced forward to the hostages. "Get out of here." She cried. "Leave now." The frightened people immediately stood up and stumbled out of the building to the waiting arms of the police.

Hearing the door open, she saw the remaining men emerge from the ventilation room. "_Oh God, the gas."_ She thought. Hundreds of people were sitting in their offices not suspecting the deadly toxin that would soon overcome them. Jackson was trading fire with the gunmen behind a desk he had managed to overturn as Lisa hid behind the marble pillar nearest to the ventilation room. "_I have to close the vents now."_ She said to herself. _"Jackson will never get there in time." _ She made a mad dash for the room.

She heard one of the men turn as he noticed her dissapear into the room and he raised his gun to shoot. Jackson squeezed off a round at him managing to take him down before the gunman could pull the trigger. Looking at where Lisa disappeared, he realized quickly where she had gone. "Lisa no! You don't have a mask!" He called out. "Damn it!" He seethed. He was trapped with the remaining three gunmen. Jackson was never cut out to do the dirty work of a simple assasin. His training with guns was limited although in the past two years he had been practicing however his knowledge wouldn't come close to that of the killers before him.

Suddenly, an explosion was heard from the side of the building as the SWAT team came in. Jackson immediately grabbed his Secret Service ID as he got up carefully from his position brandishing the ID in his hand. Members of the SWAT team had quickly neutralized the remaining gunmen just by the overwhelming numbers.

One of the SWAT members nodded at his ID and Jackson immediately ran to the ventilation room from where Lisa still hadn't returned. Finding the door locked, he swore silently to himself. "I don't have time for this." He muttered as he took the gun and aimed it at the knob. The blast of the gun shot the doorknob nearly off it's hinges as he opened the door to find Lisa lying prone on the ground. Glancing quickly around the room, he noticed that she had managed to seal off the vents. He picked up a gas mask lying on the ground and putting it to his face he examined the canisters quickly shutting them down.

He instantly went to Lisa's side gathering her into his arms and took her out into the lobby swarming with FBI and paramedics. A paramedic raced over to Jackson and assisted him in placing her on the ground. Removing a needle from his kit, the medic injected her with atropine. Lisa started to convulse. Jackson grabbed her head to keep her from hitting it against the tiles and desperately asked the medic, "Why isn't it working?" Looking at Jackson, he sighed. "It doesn't look good. We don't know much she inhaled by being in such close proximity to the gas." He said.

Her convulsions suddenly ceased and he saw her open her eyes only to close them again. "No, Leese. Stay with me." Jackson said to her despairingly. Her green eyes squinted at him, her pupils narrowing. "It's so bright." She whispered. "I can't breathe." Her quiet voice resonated with him as he cradled her in his arms. "Jack, are you still there?" She managed to ask. He stroked her hair gently. "Always, Lisa. I won't leave you. Just breathe. The worse is over and you'll be okay." She coughed harshly gasping for air as she looked at him. "You told me that you would never lie to me." She murmured.

Jackson felt his heart beat eratically in his chest as he wrapped his arms around Lisa's shoulders pulling her closer to him. The medic had managed to start her on oxygen. "Sir, we may have to intubate. Her oxygen intake is poor. Do you want extreme measures taken to keep her alive?" The medic asked softly. Jackson glared at him. "What are you saying?" He whispered. The medic shook his head. "You know that answer. The atropine doesn't seem to be effective."

Before Jackson could speak, Lisa managed to grasp his hand. "No machines." She whispered. Jackson shook his head. "Leese, please..." Lisa smiled. "I have something to say, Jack." She said taking in another gasp of air. "I forgive you." Her coughs turned violent as she turned her head and vomited blood onto the clean marble tiles. "Always look forward, Jack." Her eyes fluttered closed as Jackson tried to plead with her. "Lisa, come on. Please don't leave like this." He started to shake her but Lisa failed to respond. Her face peaceful at last as the portable heart monitor gave off a high pitched alarm.

The medics pushed him aside as they tried to resusitate her but Jackson inside knew the truth though his mind cleaved onto hope. The original medic shook his head and turned off the heart monitor. He turned to Jackson. "I'm sorry. We did everything we could. Would you like a moment alone with her before we take her?" He asked.

Jackson nodded mutely as he looked at Lisa's pale, beautiful features as he gently stroked her face. Her skin still retained some warmth despite death's final hold of her. "I love you." He whispered quietly as a tear finally escaped breaking the facade of his stony features. He buried his face into her hair letting his anguish finally escape. Remembering her last words, his mind wandered to the bar at the airport where Lisa had innocently shared with him those same words that she spoke to him today when she had talked about her grandmother's death. _"Always look forward."_ He told himself as he finally pulled back to take a last look at Lisa's face. "I promise I will." He said quietly to her pulling the coarse medical blanket over her body and at last covering her face.


	17. Epilogue

"He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away."

The minister finished his reference from the bible as he looked upon the small huddled group surrounding the casket. It was a beautiful day outside in Washington D.C. as Lisa Reisert was finally being laid to rest. Only a few people were in attendance as Lisa's family and friends in Miami lived unaware of all that had taken place in the past year.

David Rosen fiercely regreted the callous way he treated her as the minister's voice brought little comfort to him. He berated himself for being so quick to leave her side leaving her to the whims of Jackson Rippner. He shivered knowing the terror and devestation she must of felt when she realized that David had left. He had loved Lisa entirely and the pain was gut wrenching as he stood there still reeling at the fact she was gone.

Charles Keefe looked at the casket remembering Lisa's constant struggle to survive. However, she had so freely given up her life to save a multitude of others. His regret was that her family would never know of her heroic acts. He could not see bringing them further pain by telling her mother that she had survived the wedding only to die in agony from the nerve gas. _"It wasn't a waste, Lisa."_ He said silently to her as he looked at Jackson Rippner standing beside him.

Jackson committed to himself to never look back at his former life after Lisa's death. He made the decision to accept Keefe's offer to join the Homeland Security office and help root out terrorism in all its forms. As Jackson stood there, he ignored the ministers soothing words and looked at Lisa's final resting place. _"It should of been me."_ The thought danced through his head. He shook it off. He couldn't think that way. He made a promise to her and he was intent on keeping it.

The minister finished speaking and Jackson approached the casket. He put a hand on the smooth wooden surface. He would never forget her or his committment. Remembering her fiery words in the stairwell. _"If you really want to change, you must do that for yourself. I shouldn't be the reason for it."_

"I will go forward, Leese." He said quietly. "After all, I've tried never to lie to you."

THE END

**I know this didn't end the way some of you would have liked but in my discovery, I just didn't think a romance would work between these two characters. However, it appealed to me that she would help Jackson to achieve redemption. I am sorry if I dissapointed some of you or maybe all. Perhaps someone else can do a better job at a gradual romance. My heart nor my intellect was up to the challenge. Thank you for reading this and for all your reviews.**


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